Red Headed Love Season One
by WindyCity96
Summary: This is the story of a town. And the people in that town. More specifically two twin boys: Archie and Mickey Andrews. As Archie pursues his dreams of music, he finds himself torn between the girl next door and the New York native fallen from grace. Meanwhile Mickey struggles to face his past after a summer away, all while falling in love with the queen of Riverdale, Cheryl Blossom.
1. Chapter 1: The River's Edge

Chapter 1

Mickey Andrews walked out of the Riverdale airport late that night, dressed in a black and white tracksuit and sneakers, a phone in one hand and multiple bags of luggage in the other.

"I'm walking out of the airport now Mom," Mickey said, talking into his phone. Mickey had just spent the summer in Chicago, training at a baseball camp that she had found for him. It was the first time they'd been together since she left two years ago. "Yes, I'll get plenty of sleep before school tomorrow," he promised "Yes, I'll give Archie all the presents you bought him." Mickey smiled as he spotted Fred Andrews standing in the crowd of people waiting for the passengers to get off their flight. "I'll talk to soon. I love you." As the young man hung up the phone, he went through his phone and sent a text to his old friend Polly Cooper.

 _Just got back in town. Can we talk?_

Mickey waited a minute for her to respond. Then five. Then ten. No response. Mickey sighed. He'd been trying to get in contact with her for months, and all he got was silence. As Mickey prepared to send another text, he spotted his father standing in the crowd of people. "Dad."

Fred Andrews took one look at his son and smiled. "Hey, champ."

"Hey." Mickey smiled as Fred pulled him into a warm hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, buddy." Fred furrowed his brow as he noticed the multiple bags his son was carrying. "See you did a little shopping in the Windy City."

"Half are for Archie. Mom wanted to spoil us a little bit," Mickey explained handing some the bags off to Fred "Where is Archie anyway?"

"At Pop's with Betty Cooper," Fred answered "She got back couple hours before you did. They wanted to catch up."

"Is it okay if go too?" Mickey asked. As much as he'd missed his father, he'd barely heard a word from his brother since July. "I know I just got back."

"It's okay, Mick," Fred chuckled. "You and I'll have plenty of time to catch up." The two Andrews boys walked side-by-side on their way to the car "So, what was your favorite thing about Chicago?"

"Deep Dish pizza," Mickey answered, "It changed my life."

* * *

Archie Andrews sat in a booth at Pop's that night, sitting with his long time friend and neighbor, Betty Cooper. she had just got back from her internship in LA and they were catching up.

"So what was it like working for your dad?" Betty asked.

"It was… pouring concrete," Archie stated in an unsatisfied tone "all day. Every day. To pass the time, I would compose these poems in my head and when I got home, I'd write them down."

Betty gave the red-headed a look. "You don't even like to read poetry."

"They weren't poems, they were song lyrics," Archie explained "and when I was working on them," the redheaded boy paused for a moment, a nervous look on his face.

"What Archie?" Betty asked in a kind comforting voice, her soft green eyes full of an unwavering acceptance and support.

"It felt like, I had broken through to something. Something real. Something about my life and what I want to do with it. Music," Archie said with an excited smile. "Starting this year. Tomorrow," he specified.

Betty beamed at him. "Amazing."

Archie's smile widened. He had missed this. Betty's warm smile. Her encouragement and support. Her light.

"Archie," Betty's smile wavered for a moment as she spoke "I've been thinking about us… and our friendship,"

As Betty went on talking, Archie felt his attention slip away as a stranger walked in the door of Pop's. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was of average height, with long raven hair, smoky dark eyes, and lipstick the color of the sweetest plums. She was dressed in a fancy dark wrap to keep out the cold, a string of flawless pearls around her neck and high heels on her feet. Archie's heart stopped. The world faded into a blur. Her eyes drew him into a trance as she walked towards him, moving at a graceful and leisurely pace that seemed to grow slower with every step. It was a paradox of pleasure and pain. On one hand, Archie truly felt like he could just watch her until the end of time, and yet every fiber in his soul cried out to her, to know her, better than he even knew himself.

After what felt like an eternity of blissful agony, the girl stood in front of him and Betty, a mysterious, mischievous look in her eye enticing Archie like nothing before. He could get lost in those eyes, totally enraptured to the point where the thought of leaving the embrace of those smoky, seductive orbs was seem like the greatest of tortures.

The girl looked at him and smiled. "Hi."

At first, Archie couldn't say anything, his lungs devoid of air as a massive grin spread across his face. "H-hey," he managed.

"How are the onion rings here?" she asked.

"S-So good," Archie assured her.

"Can we get some onion rings too please?" she called back to Pops. "Thanks. My mom and I just moved here."

"From where?" Archie asked.

"New York."

"Wow." Compared to the small-town life of Riverdale, New York city might as well be another planet. No wonder she seemed so…exotic. Archie could see her now: walking down park avenue, bumping elbows with singers and movie stars.

"I am filled with dread with the start of school tomorrow," she vented.

"Why is that?" Archie asked. This girl looked ready to walk the red carpet at the Oscars. How could she be getting nerves about something as simple as the first day of school?

"Are you familiar with Truman Capote?" she asked.

Archie nodded, simply for the sake of making sure the girl kept talking. The sound of her voice becoming sweeter and sweeter with every second. He had just met this girl and yet her voice was the single sweetest sound his ears had ever heard.

"I am 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' but this place is strictly 'In Cold Blood'."

Archie laughed, maybe a little too much. What was wrong with him?

"Veronica Lodge," the girl introduced.

"Archie. Andrews," the redheaded boy replied. "And this is Betty," he added, introducing the blonde-haired girl sitting next to him.

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Betty Cooper? As in-?"

"Yes. I'm giving you your tour tomorrow," Betty confirmed.

"Hey, why don't you join us?" he suggested, not noticing the uncomfortable look on Betty's face "Let us un-fill you with dread?"

"My mom's waiting for me," Veronica politely declined. The raven-haired beauty picked up her order and gave Archie and Betty a farewell smile. "To be continued."

* * *

Mickey walked up to Pop's just as a young girl walked out with her arms full of take-out. A brunette with long, flowing hair and dark, mysterious eyes. She was beautiful and completely unrecognizable. She also was about ten seconds from dropping her food.

"Here," Mickey quickly hurried over and helped the girl her food into her car. "Let me help you with that."

The girl sighed. "Thanks, Archie."

Frowning, Mickey looked into the window at Pop's and saw his brother sitting in a booth with their lifelong friend, Betty Cooper. Mickey chuckled. "Now I know you're not from around here." Smiling at the confused look on the girl's face, Mickey jerked a thumb at the window where Betty and Archie sat. "I'm not Archie."

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh my God. There's two of you?"

"Afraid so," Mickey responded, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What gave it away?" she asked.

"Well, there's only two pairs of twins in all of Riverdale," Mickey told her "and you're the first person to get the me and Archie mixed up since grade school. For the record, the trick to telling us apart is in the eyes," Mickey gestured to his piercing pair of blue orbs. "Archie's are brown."

"Got it. Brown for Archie, blue for…?"

The blue-eyed twin offered his hand to shake. "Mickey."

"Veronica Lodge," the girl introduced, shaking Mickey's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Veronica."

"Nice to meet you two," Veronica smiled as she stepped inside her car. "I'll see you at school, Mickey." And she drove off.

Mickey smiled. Veronica was cute. Not Mickey's type, but definite cute. The blue-eyed twin walked into the diner and headed over to Archie and Betty's booth. Archie was the first to see him, his face breaking into a massive grin as he spotted his brother. "Mickey!"

The brown-eyed twin jumped out of his seat, pulling his brother into a welcoming hug. "I thought you weren't getting back until late."

"My flight got in early," Mickey chuckled as he looked at the girl next door and smiled. "Hey Betty."

"Hey," the blonde-haired girl grinned and pulled her neighbor into a warm hug. "How was Chicago?"

"It was great. Playing baseball all day. Spending time with mom," Mickey sighed happily "I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the summer. Hey, it is okay if I join you guys? I am starving."

Betty paused, a nervous look spreading across her face. "Um...,"

"Of course, man," Archie answered. The brown-eyed twin wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder and led him into his and Betty's booth, ordering another round of fries as the three childhood friends caught up. When Mickey learned about his brother's new passion his eyes widened. "You want to be a musician?"

"Yeah," Archie smiled bashfully. "It's nuts, I know."

"No, it isn't. You and Mom always loved those watching those old musicals when we were kids," Mickey remembered. "If this is what you want to do, then I'm with you, brother. All the way."

Archie smiled, grateful for his brother's unwavering support. "Thanks, Mick."

"So, what else did I miss?" Mickey asked, leaning back in his seat as he finished his strawberry milkshake. "the Blossom twins still running Riverdale?"

At the mention of the wealthiest kids in town, both Archie and Betty became pale and solemn faced.

Mickey frowned. "What'd I say?"

Betty glanced at Archie nervously. "You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Mickey questioned.

"I didn't want to ruin his summer," Archie whispered.

"Guys. What happened?" Mickey demanded "What aren't you telling me?

"Mickey," Archie swallowed a growing lump in his throat as he wrung his hands together. "Jason Blossom died this summer."

* * *

"Mickey. Mickey!"

The blue-eyed twin reluctantly opened his eyes as his brother woke him up that morning, managing a single simple response. "Ugh."

Archie smirked as he saw the look on his brother's face. "Time to get up. We got to go to school."

Mickey groaned as he threw pillow over his face. "Five more minutes."

"Not a chance."

Mickey groaned as Archie literally dragged him out of bed, the blue-eyed twin rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I hate you."

"I love you too," Archie chuckled.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Mickey forced himself off the floor and got ready for school. After getting cleaned up, the blue-eyed twin came rushing downstairs, dressed in a grey t-shirt that said _Riverdale Baseball_ in blue letters, dark jeans, new Adidas sneakers, and a dark brown leather jacket thrown over his shoulder. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Dad! We're heading out!" Archie called "First day of school and we're already late."

As the two boys headed for the door, Fred handed their dog Vegas as treat and came out of the kitchen "hey, you two coming by the site later?"

Archie frowned. "Dad, it's our first day."

"We've got to get you started in the office so next summer, you boys aren't out with the crew."

Mickey was excited. As much as he loved spending the summer in Chicago, he was a little disappointed that he didn't get to learn about the family business. But he was hoping to catch up with his friends first.

Archie gave his father a nervous look. "I've got football tryouts," he stated, causing Mickey to frown "is that not okay?"

"No, no. It's okay," Fred assured him. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

* * *

"Hey what gives?" Mickey stood next to Archie by the lockers at school, the brown-eyed twin looking intently at a notebook full of his unfinished songs "I thought you were going to work on your music after school?" Mickey asked.

"I am," Archie responded, not looking up from his notebook.

"So why didn't you tell dad? He would've let you practice."

Archie stayed silent for a moment, a guilt-ridden look spreading across his face. "Dad doesn't know about I want to study music."

Mickey frowned. "Why not?"

"Because he wouldn't understand," Archie sighed looking up from his notes "You how dad is. Sports get us to college. College gets us to business school. Business school gets us right back here to Riverdale, turning Andrews Construction into Andrews and Sons" The brown-eyed twin gave his brother a worried look "I don't want to let him down."

Mickey gave his brother a sympathetic look. Ever since their mother had left, Archie had been walking on glass. Like if he wasn't exactly what the people he cared about wanted him to be, they'd leave him.

"My bros!"

Before Mickey give his brother an encouraging word, a tall muscular Asian American boy sauntered over to them, a massive grin on his face.

Mickey smiled. "What's up Reggie!" the two best friends quickly gave each other a welcoming bro hug.

"Dude, you got ripped!" Reggie exclaimed, looking over Mickey's new physique "What's your fastball speed at?"

"Eighty-five," Mickey told him proudly.

"Shut up! Dude, you are going to own baseball this spring!" Reggie promised "And Archie, look at these arms," he exclaimed grabbing the brown-eyed twin by the bicep "this is diesel! You go to tell me your secret. TBT? Mako Root?"

Archie chuckled. "It's from working construction, Reg," he told him, walking to class.

"Right, right," the young athletes walked side by side, a mischievous look creeping into Reggie's eye "So, you work any big houses over the summer?"

Archie's eyes narrowed curiously "Yeah."

"Hook up with any hot Cougars?"

Mickey chuckled. "Is sex all you think about Reg?"

"Only when I'm off the field," Reggie told him.

Archie shook his head in disbelief "Sorry, Reg. You've got enough for your Wank-Bank. I'll you guys later."

"Later brother," Reggie called as the brown-eyed twin walked off "What about you, Mick? You meet any hotties out in Chicago?"

"No comment."

* * *

Mickey and Archie sat next to each other at the assembly, where Cheryl Blossom announced the confirmation of the Back-to-School Formal and that it would be held in Jason's honor. As the crowd cheered at the good news, both of the Andrews boys found their minds wander into the past. Archie's to the previous and his forbidden love with Miss Grundy. Mickey's went even farther, to when his past with Cheryl all began.

* * *

 _It was spring break. The JV baseball had just made it into the playoffs and Reggie was throwing a pool party to celebrate. With a house, almost as big as Thornhill, and a reputation to party as hard as he played just about every sport Riverdale had to offer, Reggie Mantle spent no expense. Especially with his parents out of town._

 _Mickey sat at the edge of the pool late that night, wearing only a grey hoodie and a pair of navy swim trunks, his feet just under the water, when she arrived._

" _Mickey."_

 _The young baseball player looked up from the water as Cheryl Blossom stood beside him, dressed in nothing more than a black bikini and lacy re wrap tied around her waist._

 _Mickey's heart stopped. He always knew Cheryl was beautiful, but standing there, dressed like that…. she looked like she belonged on the cover of Sports Illustrated. "Hey Cheryl."_

 _Cheryl gave him a warm smile. "Can I sit?"_

" _Uh, sure." The blue eyed boy scooted over as Cheryl sat down next to him, handing him a red plastic cup. "Thanks."_

" _I saw you at the Coolsville game," Cheryl commented "You were incredible."_

 _Mickey blushed. "It was nothing."_

" _Nothing? You pitched a no hitter," Cheryl remined "No freshman has ever done that before. Keep it up and you'll be varsity before the season's over."_

" _Practice makes perfect right?" Mickey nervously took a sip from his cup, to cough and gasp as the contents burned down his throat. "Oh. What is that?"_

" _Cherry Vodka," Cheryl stated in a low voice "my personal drink of choice."_

" _Mine's Budweiser," Mickey managed "guess I'm just used to the simpler things."_

" _But you should try the finer things," Cheryl suggested, running her down Mickey's arm. "The experience is so much better."_

 _Mickey's heart started going a million miles an hour. Was Cheryl Blossom, the queen of Riverdale High, hitting on him?_

 _Before Mickey could even say another word, Cheryl removed her hand, and rose to her feet and walked off. "See you around."_

 _Deciding to he needed to cool off or explode, Mickey prepared to take a quick lap in the pool when he realized that his phone was gone. Looking around to see if he might've dropped it, Mickey spotted Cheryl standing amongst the crowd of teenagers at the party, waving it back and forth as she gave him a seductive grin._

 _Confused, Mickey followed Cheryl as she headed away from the crowds and away from the pool house, the one spot Reggie had stated was off-limits. What was Cheryl up to? Curious, Mickey followed the red-headed girl inside, only to lose her from sight as he walked through the door. "Cheryl?"_

" _Looking for this, Mickey?"_

 _The blue-eyed twin turned around as Cheryl stood behind him, holding up his phone she gave him a sultry smile._

 _Mickey sighed. "Yes I am. Now can I have it back please?"_

" _But of course," Cheryl replied handing Mickey his phone "I just wanted to get you alone."_

 _At that moment, Mickey Andrews looked around and realized the situation he was in: He was alone, in a pool house with Cheryl Blossom. Mickey's grew to the size of dollar coins. "Uh Cheryl," he managed in a nervous tone "What are you-mmm!" before he could even finish a sentence, Cheryl closed the gap between the two of them, smashing her lips against his, giving Mickey Andrews a kiss that made him feel like he could fly to the moon. As Cheryl pulled away from him ending the kiss, Mickey could only thing of one word his new experience, the taste of her cherry-flavored lipstick still fresh on his tongue. "Whoa."_

" _What's the matter Mickey?" Cheryl teased in an innocent tone "didn't you like it?"_

" _Of course, I liked it" Mickey assured her "But, we have both been drinking," he reminded "and I just don't want to do anything that you'll regret."_

 _Cheryl gave the redheaded boy a gentle smile "Trust me, Mickey" The redheaded cheerleader pushed Mickey onto couch and sat on his lap, "I won't have any regrets." As if to prove a point, head Rivervixen bent down and gave the baseball player a lustful kiss._

 _Mickey could hardly believe his luck. He had just pitched a no-hitter, his team was going to the championships and now he was making out with_ the _Cheryl Blossom. As Mickey lost himself in the rush of the kiss, warmth of the body pressed against hers, the softness of her pale ivory skin as he wrapped his hands around her waist, the intoxicating taste of her cherry flavored lips, Cheryl ran her hands against the baseball player's chest, slowly unzipping his hoodie._

 _As soon as Cheryl's hands met the bare skin of his chest, Mickey jumped, ending the kiss as he gasped for breath._

" _What's wrong?" Cheryl was getting impatient._

" _Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Mickey gasped, his face flushed and hot. "I just… I just need a second."_

" _Oh my God, Mickey," Cheryl's eyes widened in realization "Is this your first time?"_

 _Mickey's face turned almost as red as his hair. Yes, he was still a virgin, but he didn't want Cheryl to know that. "Um…,"_

" _How cute," Cheryl exclaimed as she gave him a sentimental smile "I've never been anyone's first before." The redheaded cheerleader pushed Mickey onto his back on the couch, giving him a reassuring kiss "Don't worry Mickey. I promise I'll be gentle." Cheryl reached behind her back and undid her top. "I also promise to be the highlight of your life._

 _She wasn't kidding. After letting Cheryl have her way with him, Mickey lay on the couch with Cheryl in his arms, wrapped in a spare towel they found in the pool house. Mickey could only think of one word to describe the experience. "Wow."_

 _Cheryl smiled. "You're pretty wow yourself. I have to say, for someone who just had their first time, you're quite a natural."_

 _Mickey grinned. "Oh yeah?"_

" _Yeah," Cheryl smiled as she pulled herself in closer for a kiss "Ready for round two?"_

" _Definitely. But first," Mickey smiled mischievously as he rolled himself on top of Cheryl, only for his eyes to widen in shock as he saw the time on the clock. "Oh no," Mickey panicked as he jumped off the couch "My curfew's in twenty minutes," he exclaimed, struggling to put his shorts back on "Cheryl," Mickey's eyes became racked with guilt. "I am so sorry."_

" _Don't worry Mickey," Cheryl assured him "Every teenager knows the cruel burden of a curfew."_

 _Mickey frowned as he shrugged on his hoodie "What are you doing with my phone?"_

" _Putting in my number," she replied "If you're this good now, imagine how good you'll be with practice."_

* * *

Mickey got practice alright. And plenty of it. For weeks, he and Cheryl Blossom went at it like a couple of rabbits, sneaking around whenever they could. At first, Mickey was fine with it, but after going away to Chicago for the summer, he was finally able to get his head on straight. He started to miss her. Not just sleeping with her, but holding her in his arms, the gentle sound of her voice in his ear. The warmth in her smile. Sex just wasn't enough for Mickey Andrews. He wanted more.

* * *

Mickey sat with Betty, Kevin and Archie at lunch, listening to his brother's song as it played on his laptop. As Veronica came into view, Archie slammed the laptop shut, his cheeks briefly turning red. Mickey smirked. It was obvious that his brother had a thing for the new girl.

"Hey," the New York native greeted "What are you guys doing?"

"Listening to one of Archie's songs," Betty answered, giving her childhood friend a warm smile.

 _A flirty smile_ , Mickey thought. Was there something going between those two? Betty did seem a little hesitant when Mickey asked to join them at Pop's.

"I got to admit, I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it," Kevin divulged "but it's actually, pretty good."

"It's great," Betty confirmed.

"Wait, that was you?" Veronica asked in an impressed tone.

"Yeah," Archie admitted modestly "It's rough."

"It's amazing," Veronica disputed "At least from the little snippet I just heard. You have real talent, Archie," she told him.

"Definitely," Mickey agreed with an encouraging smile. "You'll be topping the charts in no time, little brother."

Archie gave his brother an irritated look "just because you were born a couple minutes before I was, doesn't make you the older brother."

"Kinda does," Mickey disputed "And it's fifteen minutes, not a couple."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "So is this your thing Archie?" she asked "Music? Are you doing something with it?"

"That's the plan," Archie confirmed "anyway, I got to go. I have to meet with Grundy before football tryouts."

"You play football too?" Veronica exclaimed "What don't you do?"

"Baseball," the brown eyed twin responded, "that's Mickey's thing."

Veronica gave the blue-eyed twin a curious look. "is that so?"

Mickey shrugged. "I dabble."

"He's amazing," Betty insisted "He's the best pitcher in whole school."

"Come on Betty," Mickey disputed bashfully "I only played JV last year."

"Yeah. JV starting pitcher who took us to the championships and pitched a no-hitter," Kevin reminded.

"Impressive," Veronica complemented "You must have the ladies eating out of the palm of your hand."

Mickey's cheeks grew hot, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips.

Betty huffed. "If only he'd talk to them. Mickey gets so shy around girls."

"Oh, I don't know. He seems to have at least one girl hanging onto his every word."

Mickey eyes went wide as he saw Veronica going through his phone. He seriously needed to put a lock on that thing.

"Someone named Baby Doll just our young baseball star a very steamy little text," Veronica informed in a teasing voice.

Kevin gasped. "Oh my God."

"Mickey," Betty gave her neighbor a look, the tone in her voice like that of an older sister who just caught her little brother with his hand in the cookie jar. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Mickey's face turned almost as bright as his hair. "I might've met someone last spring," he admitted.

"Someone named Baby Doll?" Betty assumed.

"That's not her real name," Mickey divulged "she just likes it when I call her that."

"And do you like it when she calls you Baby Boo?" Veronica inquired.

Mickey groaned as he slammed his head on the table "Somebody kill me."

"Baby Boo?" Betty repeated, stifling a laugh.

"That's what it says here in the text," Veronica giggled "'Looking good today Baby Boo. Can't wait to see how baseball camp improved your batting average'" she read aloud in an exaggerated seductive tone "'XOXO kissy face emoji.'"

"Kevin kill me," Mickey pleaded. "just take one of your father's guns put me out of my misery."

"Oh no. Not until you tell us about this mystery girl you got on booty call."

Realizing that he wasn't getting out of this, Mickey a hand over his face and sighed. "It started at Reggie's spring break party. We took a break after I went to Colorado. Honestly, I wasn't even sure she was still interested in me."

"Oh, I think she's pretty interested," Kevin confirmed.

"When I was at camp, I couldn't stop thinking about her," Mickey continued "Not just the sex, her. I realized that I really like her."

"And now you out of the Netflix-and-Chill Zone," Veronica assumed.

"Mickey," Betty spoke to her friend in a gentle tone. "Do you really care this girl? About Baby Doll?"

Mickey didn't even have to think about it. Cheryl Blossom was one of a kind. She was smart. Confident. A natural born leader. And yet, Mickey couldn't help but feel that there was more to her beneath the surface. Not to mention she was drop dead gorgeous. "Yeah. I do."

Betty gave him a supporting smile. "Then you should tell her. Let her know how you feel."

"Practice what you preach," Kevin muttered "And am I the only one asking the serious questions here: Who is Baby Doll?"

"Oh no. You guys have gotten enough out of me as it is," Mickey stated, snatching his phone back from Veronica "I'm going to ask her to the Back-To-School Formal. If she says yes," he stipulated "then you'll meet her."

"Fine by me. Just so long as it's not," Betty's voice trailed off she spotted something in the distance "Oh no."

"What is it?" Veronica asked.

"Whatever you do, don't say anything about Archie," Betty ordered.

"Veronica Lodge."

The second Mickey heard that voice his heart started racing. His palms became sweaty. He looked up and there she was.

She had changed since giving her speech, now wearing a black form fitting blouse, a short red skirt, matching heels and cherry shaped brooch. It was her. Mickey's Baby Doll.

"I'm Cheryl Blossom," the red-headed girl greeted with a smile "May I sit?" Before Veronica could even respond, Cheryl to join the table, forcing the blonde-haired girl to move over "Make some room, will you Betty?"

Mickey's heart was going at least a hundred miles an hour. He hadn't expected to run into Cheryl so soon. Seeing at the assembly was one thing, but face to face, after all this time… it was taking all of his willpower no to just grab her and kiss her.

As Mickey struggled to keep his raging hormones in check, he felt something circling his foot. Mickey looked up from his food saw Cheryl shoot him a mischievous look out of the corner of her eye.

"So, what were you talking about?" Cheryl asked the others.

"Extracurriculars," Veronica lied "Weatherby suggested I join some to make new friends."

"Cheerleading," Cheryl suggested instantly "You must," she insisted.

As she continued to try and sell Veronica on joining the River-Vixens, Cheryl's foot began to slide up the inside of Mickey's calf.

Mickey's heart raced. It was French class all over again.

"I sat on top of the pyramid back at New York," Veronica commented. "What about you Betty?" she asked, "will you try out with me?"

"Oh, but Betty has so much on her plat already," Cheryl claimed, faking a disappointed tone.

Mickey gave Cheryl as stern look. He'd been trying to get Cheryl to be nicer to Betty since they started seeing each other, but she didn't seem interested.

Cheryl knew Mickey was upset. Which is why she moved her foot all the way up to Mickey's thigh. Mickey quickly grabbed the table with both hands. This girl was driving him crazy. And not only did she know it, she was enjoying it.

"Still, all are welcome to tryout," Cheryl assured them, putting her smile back on.

Mickey's knuckles turned white as Cheryl removed her foot from his lap, the redheaded girl standing up from the table. "Anyway, I am off. Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same," she told Veronica "my handle is CherylBombshell." And she walked off.

"Mickey?" Betty frowned at the look on her neighbor's face "are you okay? You don't look so good."

Mickey didn't feel good. His heart was racing, his face was flushed, and his pants had suddenly become way too tight. "I'm fine," Mickey managed, taking a much need sip from his water bottle. "I just… didn't like the way Cheryl talked to you." The young baseball player quickly pulled his phone as it went off, keeping it out of Veronica's reach. That girl was almost a bigger gossip than Kevin.

It was another text from Cheryl: _Meet me our spot. Baby Doll needs some lovin._

"Another text from Baby Doll?" Veronica assumed.

Mickey blushed. "Maybe." The redheaded boy's eyes went wide as Cheryl sent him another text: _Please? I'm wearing Maple Red. Your favorite._

"I'll see you guys later," Mickey announced, jumping up from the table.

"Remember. You are a human being with emotions," Veronica advised "not a piece of meat."

* * *

Mickey and Cheryl's spot was behind the bleachers near the baseball diamond. Whenever they needed a little time alone in the middle of the day, they'd sneak off and meet there between classes. Normally he and Cheryl would just makeout until they could hardly breathe, but Mickey was determined to have a real, serious conversation with her. He should've known better.

The blue-eyed twin let out a muffled grunt as Cheryl slammed him against a chain-link fence, the redheaded girl pulling at his hairs as he wrapped his arms around her waist. As much as Mickey wanted a serious relationship with Cheryl, he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss this. The sensation of her fingers running across his scalp. The weight of her body pressed against his. The delicate softness of her lips, the intoxicating taste…

 _Snap out of it Andrews!_ Mickey thought to himself. _You want to be her boyfriend not her boy toy!_

Using what little willpower he had left, Mickey forced himself to end the makeout session, allowing himself to take a much needed breath.

Cheryl gasped. "You took your time getting here."

"I didn't want to come off has easy after that stunt you pulled," Mickey huffed. Truth be told, he almost didn't show up. After that erotic little game of Footsie, Mickey felt less like himself and more like an animal in heat.

"I missed my Baby Boo," Cheryl justified in a flirty tone. The Riverdale Queen Bee smiled seductively as she ran her hands over Mickey's chest, placing a trail of kisses down his neck, stopping only as she started to nibble on his collarbone.

Mickey took in a sharp breath, his knees becoming wobbly as his heart started to race. If he didn't stop this soon, his brain was going to turn to mush. "Cheryl," he managed in a breathy tone "Cheryl."

"Say my name, baby," she whispered in a lustful voice "it's been so long since I've heard you say my name."

"Baby Doll," Using every ounce willpower he had left, Mickey forced himself to grab Cheryl by the shoulders and pull her away from him. "We need to stop."

"Why?" the head River-Vixen ran her hands over the baseball player's sculpted arms as she pouted, her dark brown eyes going wide and innocent as she stuck out her plump, full lips. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you. It's just that," Mickey's heart raced as his mind went blank. He'd rehearsed this whole situation at least a dozen times, spent months trying come up with the right words to tell Cheryl how he felt about her. And now, after finally getting her alone, he couldn't think of anything remotely romantic to say. "It's just… class is about to start," he managed, glancing at his watch "we don't want to be late."

Cheryl sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. "And I do love my perfect punctuality. It's a shame," the redheaded girl gave Mickey a seductive look as she slipped her hand under his shirt "I was so looking forward to getting an up-close look at the new Mickey. You were a little cutie before. But now," Cheryl gave Mickey a lustful look as she ran her fingers over his abs "now you're like a red-headed Adonis."

Mickey's mouth went dry as he struggling to speak. "A-are uh, are you going to the Back-To-School Formal?"

"Of course. I'm planning a special tribute to Jay-Jay with the Pussycats," she confirmed.

Mickey felt an all-consuming pit come out of nowhere and swallow his stomach. What was wrong with him? He'd been so obsessed with what he wanted from Cheryl, that he'd almost forgotten that she was still grieving over the loss of her bother. "Baby Doll, if you ever want to talk… about Jason,"

"Aw. That's so sweet," she complimented. "but the time for crying is over. And right now, all I want is you," Cheryl stated in a lustful tone "at my party."

"Party?" Mickey repeated.

Cheryl nodded. "After the dance. So I can give you a proper homecoming." The Queen Bee of Riverdale leaned in close as she gave Mickey a final fiery kiss, "See you later, Baby Boo." And she walked off.

As soon as Cheryl was out of sight, Mickey slumped down to the ground as he let out a gasp, running his hands through his hair. This was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

After school, Mickey went straight to the batting cages to blow off steam. To say the first day hadn't gone exactly how he'd planned was an understatement. For about an hour nonstop, he hit baseball after baseball, sending them down the field, his face and shirt covered in sweat.

"Mickey."

The young baseball player huffed as he looked over his shoulder as his brother called out his name, spotting Archie, Betty and Veronica standing on the other side of the cage, the two girls dressed in their newly earned cheerleading uniforms. Mickey huffed. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Archie sensed a disturbance in the twin force," Veronica stated, rolling her eyes "Question: how does the baseball player going to the batting cages equal a cry for help?"

"He's the pitcher," Archie spoke to his brother in a worried voice "Mick, what's going on?"

Mickey grunted as he hit another fastball down the field. "I don't understand women."

"Mickey's having girl troubles," Betty explained. "Apparently he was sneaking around with some girl last spring and never told anyone."

"Oh. Her."

Betty tilted her head. "Wait, did you know?"

'Well, we share a bedroom so it makes it pretty hard for me not to notice when he'd sneak out to his secret girlfriend," Archie chuckled. "I don't who she is, but I do know she's a cheerleader."

* * *

 _Archie sat in the bleachers with his father, watching as Mickey as he stood at the pitcher's mound. It was his first game after the no-hitter. A lot of people were worried he might've done damage to his arm after a game like that. Mickey was determined to prove them wrong._

 _It wasn't going well. In the first three innings, he'd given up two walks and three runs. Thank God for Reggie Mantle. If he wasn't such a monster behind the plate, the Bulldogs would've blown out. By the top of the fourth, Archie was already hearing rumors of the coach pulling Mickey out of the game. At that moment, a small group of young women walked into the bleachers: a small squad of the Rivervixens just back from a cheer competition upstate. And leading the charge was none other than Cheryl Blossom._

 _Mickey's eye widened as he watched the cheerleaders sat down in the bleachers next to Jason, the young pitcher firing a blazing fastball that the batter never saw coming. The crowd cheered, amazed and the sudden renewed vigor in the young athlete._

 _Fred gasped. "What got into him?"_

 _Archie's eyes drifted over to the Cheryl and the Rivervixens. "I think I know."_

 _After that, Mickey became a force of nature. Painting the corners of the strike zone with curves and fastballs that no one saw coming. As the sixth inning came around, Mickey was starting to tire, but he refused to quit. With one strike standing between him and Riverdale's next at bat, the blue-eyed twin wound up and unleashed his secret weapon: a slider pitch._

 _SWOOSH!_

 _He knew it was bad the second the ball his left his hand. After so many innings, Mickey was so worried about giving the pitch enough heat, he didn't give it enough curve. Archie saw it too. What was meant to be a slider low and outside turned into a wonky curveball right down the middle._

 _CRACK!_

 _The batter hit the ball with ease, sending a line drive racing down the center field._

 _Springing into action, Mickey dived for the ball as it bounced just past the pitcher's mound, skidding across the ground as he threw to first base just as the runner came charging in._

" _Out!" the umpire shouted._

 _The crowd cheered as Mickey rose to his feet, wiping the sweat from his brow as he walked over to the batter's box. Mickey was sat out for the rest of the game, but it didn't matter. He was back and the world knew it._

 _The game was a shut out after that. Reggie hit his third home run that day in the seventh, putting the Bulldogs ahead by two._

 _After the game, Archie went looking for his brother, only for his eyes to nearly fall out of his head as he spotting Mickey behind the bleachers, making out with a passionately kissing a cheerleader._

* * *

"I never got a look at her face and Mick would never tell me who she was," Archie concluded "next thing I know, Mickey's sneaking out the house every other night, coming back with lipstick all over his face."

"So the mysterious Baby Doll's a Rivervixen," Veronica teased.

Archie snickered. "You call her Baby Doll?"

Mickey grit his teeth as he hit another ball down the field. "She's driving me nuts."

"She didn't want to go to the dance with you?" Betty presumed.

"I wouldn't know," Mickey responded between swings. "I didn't ask her."

"Why not?"

"Because she was too busy shoving her tongue down my mouth," Mickey grunted between swings "I can't take this. All she wants is sex."

"So break up with her," Archie offered.

"If I do that, I could lose her for good," Mickey worried, as if that we the worst thing in the world. "She could have any guy in the school if she wanted."

"You really care about her don't you?"

"You have no idea," Mickey grunted as he hit another line drive. "She's smart. Independent. Confident. Doesn't let anything get in her way. She most incredible, beautiful girl I have ever met, and all I am to her is… a Boy Toy!" with the last declaration, Mickey unleashed a grand slam hit, sending the ball flying as the bat broke in two.

Realizing his brother was more upset than he thought, Archie quickly ran over and turned off the pitching machine, while his brother bent over and gasped for breath. "I think that's enough batting practice for today."

"Clearly you are in dire need of a break from romantic troubles," Veronica stated.

"Ronnie's right Mick. You keep this up and you're going to explode. Come with us to the dance tonight," Archie offered.

Mickey let out a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his face. "I don't know guys. If Baby Doll sees me there, she's going to have wrapped around her finger in ten seconds flat."

"Which is why you need to come with us. If she tries to play you, we'll be there to bail you out. Besides," Archie shuffled his weight nervously. "We really haven't hung out since you got back."

"Aw," Veronica gave the two boys a teasing smile "Archiekns misses his brother."

Mickey smirked. As one of the only two pairs of twins in all of Riverdale, he and Archie had always been close, practically joined at the hip. Last summer was the longest they'd ever been apart. "Okay. Okay, I'll go."

* * *

Mickey stood alone in his room, rummaging through his clothes as he looked for something to wear to the dance. He wanted to look nice for Cheryl and he didn't really own a lot of fancy clothes. Most just t-shirts, track suits, jeans and bomber jackets. As he struggled to find his suit, Mickey turned around as his father walked in. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Just had a little chat with Archie," Fred began "he told me you down to the batting cages after school today," The construction worked sat down at the edge of his son's bed. "care to share what's on your mind?"

Mickey sighed. As much as he didn't really feel like talking, his father had a habit about giving good advice. "I met a girl before I went to Chicago."

"You don't say." Fred crossed his arms, leaning back on the bed as he smiled. "So that's what all that sneaking out was about."

Mickey paled. "You heard that?"

"Son, I've heard you and your brother sneaking out of this house since you two were having secret meetings with Jughead at his treehouse," Fred chuckled "So tell me. This girl… is it serious?"

"I want it to be," Mickey admitted "I'm just not so sure about her."

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"I tried. I wanted to ask her to the dance but, I choked. This girl," Mickey sighed "She's out of my league, Dad."

"Son, everyone thinks the person they like is out of their league," Fred assured him "Now sooner or later, you're going to have put your heart out on the line and tell her the truth. Maybe she'll feel the same way, maybe she won't. Either way, you can't keep this bottled up inside you forever."

"I guess you're right," Mickey gave Fred a small smile "Thanks, Dad."

"That's what I'm here for," Fred told him, wringing his hands together.

Mickey noticed it. It was what Fred did when he was nervous. "Something you want to get off your chest, Dad?"

Fred sighed as he looked down at his hands. "Guess we Andrews boys know each other a little too well, huh?" The construction worker sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. "Your brother just told me wants to study music," he revealed in a less than supportive tone "doesn't want anything to do with the family business. I always assumed that you two would take over the company someday, but now I realize that you two are at the age where your own plans. So now I have to ask: Do you want to go into construction Mickey?" he asked "Do you even like it?"

Mickey smiled. "Dad, do you remember when I was little and we would make towns out of Legos?"

Fred chuckled as the warm memories ran through his head. "Those were good times."

"Yeah. Those were some of the best times growing up," Mickey admitted in a sincere voice. "I know that I had a pretty good baseball season. There's a lot of talk of me going varsity. Maybe even pro," he acknowledged. "And as awesome as all that sounds, I can't think of anything better than making houses with my old man all day."

Fred smiled, his eyes flooding with pride. "In that case, how'd you like to work for me after school every once and while, until baseball season starts?"

Mickey smiled. "When can I start?"

* * *

Mickey walked into the Formal that night with Archie, Betty and Veronica, dressed in a dark blue blazer, a crisp white dress shirt tucked into a dark pair of jeans and brown dress shoes.

"Well," Veronica looked around the auditorium, now elegantly redecorated into a dance hall, the walls covered with balloons, streamers, and posters of the late Jason Blossom. "It's not the Globe."

Archie chuckled. "Not impressed by our small-town charms, Ronnie?"

"It has its perks," she said in a friendly tone "I'm going to get some punch. Come on, Mickey."

Frowning, the baseball player allowed the New York native to drag him over to the punch bowl. "I'm not really thirsty just yet."

"That's fine. So long as you give Betty and Archie some alone time," she replied pouring herself a glass.

"Wait a sec," Mickey glanced back at the others confused, remembering how awkward Betty was when he joined them at Pop's. "Are they together?"

"Not yet, but Betty's getting ready to make her move," Veronica informed. "which is why I am keeping you and all your Baby Doll drama as far away from them as possible."

For a moment, Mickey was silent. He couldn't say he was that surprised. Archie and Betty had always been close. She was practically his rock when their mom left. But then again, he was pretty sure his brother had his eyes on the new girl. "You know, if you really want to be Betty's wingman, or wing-girl," Mickey corrected uncertainly "you probably should stop flirting with Archie."

Veronica frowned. "I don't flirt with Archie."

Mickey laughed. "Yeah right."

"I don't."

"So what's with the pet names?"

"Archiekins is not a pet name, okay? It's a nickname," Veronica corrected "A friendly nickname."

"Archie-Boy is a nickname. Archiekins is the textbook definition of a mushy, goofy pet name that girls give their boyfriends after they're whipped," Mickey stated sharply "Look I've been away for a while, so clearly I don't know everything that happened this summer," he admitted, pouring himself a drink "but what I do know, is you and Archie don't look at each other like two people who want to be just friends." As Mickey took a sip of his punch leaving Veronica to ponder on his words, he detected the faint taste of whiskey. Looking around for the likely suspects, he spotted Moose and Reggie in the far-off corner of the gym, carrying flasks.

After warning Veronica to take it easy on the punch, Mickey walked over to his friends and gave them a disapproving look. "Really?"

"Dude relax," Reggie assured him with his usual grin "Nobody's going to know."

"They will if you guys keep spiking the punch."

"We're just trying to liven things up a little," Moose chuckled, his speech already starting to slur.

Mickey shook his head in disbelief "I honesty cannot take my eye of you guys for one second, can I?"

"Hello friends," the entire auditorium turned it eyes on Cheryl Blossom, the red-headed girl wearing a gown an apple-colored gown that absolutely took Mickey's breath away. "Are you all having a good time?" the crowd quickly cheered in response, causing Chery's smile to widen. "It my pleasure to introduce tonight's feature entertainment, Josie and the Pussycats. To know them is to be obsessed with them," she praised "While they usually only perform original songs, upon special request, they will be performing a special cover of the song my parents claimed to be listening to the night Jason and I were conceived. This one's for you, Jay-Jay," Cheryl dedicated, a hint of sadness entering her voice.

As the local band began to play, Mickey once again found himself in awe of Cheryl Blossom. Here she was, less than a year after her brother's death, doing everything in her power to preserve his memory. And he hadn't seen her shed a single tear. Truly, she had a will of iron.

Blinking, Mickey was pulled out of thoughts as Reggie rapidly tapped his shoulder "Dude. Dude! Don't freak but Cheryl is totally checking you out."

The young baseball player looked up and spotted the red-headed girl in the crowd, her dark brown orbs full of a lustful fire.

"Bro, she is straight-up eye sexing you right now!" Reggie exclaimed "You're making a move, right? You have to make move," he insisted.

For a moment, Mickey didn't know what to do. But the longer he looked into Cheryl's hypnotic chocolate brown orbs, the more he felt his will to resist slip away. Taking a deep a breath, Mickey grabbed Reggie's flask and took a large sip, the liquor burning down his throat as he handed it back. And without another word, he walked off and followed Cheryl into the halls.

* * *

Betty and Archie stood together on the dance floor, gently swaying to the music as they held each other in their arms. "So, now that you're playing varsity football and I'm a Rivervixen…I have this fantasy," She admitted nervously "of us… as a power couple." Betty revealed, earning a surprised look from Archie "or maybe just a couple?"

Archie was stunned. It wasn't that he didn't care about Betty. But the thought of the two together… "Betty-,"

"What?" the blonde-haired girl's hands dropped from his neck, her expressive green eyes filling with hurt and pain. "Is that so hard to imagine?"

It wasn't. Not long ago, Archie had felt just how Betty did now. But that was a long time ago. Before….

As the song came to an end, Archie jumped as Reggie Mantle came over and clamped his hand down on Archie's shoulder, an excited grin on his face and the scent of liquor on his breath. "Dude. You need to see this."

* * *

Mickey grunted as Cheryl slammed against the lockers, her fingers running across his scalp and pulling at his hair as her lips crashed into his, the baseball player's hands resting gently on her waist. He'd forgotten how aggressive Cheryl could be.

"Mickey," Cheryl gasped in a lustful tone, ending the kiss to take a much needed breath, "You look positively yummy."

"Thanks?," Mickey replied half-heartedly, not really sure how he felt about the compliment "You look beautiful, Baby Doll."

"Aw. You are so sweet," Cheryl purred, peppering kisses up and down his neck "I could just eat. You. Up."

Mickey felt a chill race down his spine as Cheryl started nibbling on his ear, the erotic sensation turning his knees into butter. "Cheryl. Cheryl," he repeated. "I want you-,"

"Mmm. I want you to, Baby Boo," Cheryl interrupted. "But not here. Come to my party tonight. Then we can have some real fun," she promised, running her tongue across her teeth, the sultry action causing Mickey's heart to race.

The red-headed cheerleader quickly gave Mickey another soul-burning kiss, turning Mickey's brain to mush as she walked off. As he leaned against the lockers trying to catch his breath, Mickey heard a voice that made all the color drain from his face.

"Dude." Reggie Mantle stood with Archie Andrews just past the auditorium doors, their eyes wide and awestruck.

Archie had only two words to describe what he'd just seen. "Holy Cow."

Mickey looked ready curl into a ball and hide. "How long have guys been standing there?"

"Long enough," Archie assured him.

"Bro, you are so in!" Reggie let out an excited laugh as he clasped his best friend on the back. "When word gets out about you and Cheryl, you are going to rule this school!" he promised "Dude, if you thought the ladies wanted after baseball last year, just wait until they hear about this."

As Reggie went on, Archie noticed the worried look on his brother's face and frowned. "Hey Reg, you think you could give us a sec?"

Reggie gave the red-headed quarterback a disappointed look. "Bro."

"Twin-Code trumps Bro-Code," Archie reminded, convincing Reggie to head back into the gym. Archie walked over to Mickey, the blue-eyed twin covering his face with his hands as he leaned across the lockers. "So… Cheryl's Baby Doll," he presumed.

Mickey nodded. "I wanted to tell you."

"But you weren't sure how we'd act." Archie finished. Although Cheryl was the most popular girl in school, she also had a rep for being one of the meanest. Especially to Betty. "Look Mick, I can't say how Betty will feel about this. But if dating Cheryl makes you happy, then that's all that matters to me."

Mickey smiled. "Thanks, Arch. But dating would require more than just having sex."

"Looks like we're both having girl problems," Archie paused as his brother gave him a curious look. "Betty just told me that she likes. Likes me likes me."

"So I 've heard."

Archie's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I just found out right before Cheryl shoved her tongue down my throat," Mickey answered "Let me guess, you already got your eyes on Veronica?"

Archie blushed. "I'm not interested in Veronica."

Mickey laughed.

"I'm not," Archie repeated. "I'm not interested in anybody after-,"

Mickey's eyes narrowed as his brother's voice trailed off. "After what?"

After a moment's silence, Archie let out a heavy sigh. "Geraldine."

"Geraldine? Who's Geraldine?" Mickey questioned.

Archie sighed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "She's a girl I met during the summer."

"Oh. Really?" Mickey gave his brother a light-hearted grin "So that's why I barely heard from you over the summer."

"Yeah" Archie smiled nervously. "She's the one that inspired me to study music. After Jason… things didn't end well between us," he managed. "I'm still getting over it."

"Looks like all Andrews men are lousy with girls," Mickey huffed. "I just got one question, bother: Geraldine?"

Archie frowned. "What's wrong with Geraldine?"

"It's an old lady's name," Mickey chuckled.

"It is not," Archie protested.

"It totally is," Mickey laughed "What, is she a grandma with a dozen cats?"

"She is not," Archie disputed trying not to smile. "She's… a senior."

"Yeah. A senior citizen."

Both the Andrews boys laughed at that one. "I've missed this," Archie said softly "you and me. Hanging out."

Mickey smiled. "Yeah, me too. Something tells me this is going to be one crazy school year."

"Yeah," Archie gave his brother a supportive look "Nothing we can't get through together, right?"

Mickey looked over to his brother and smiled. "Right."

* * *

After heading back into the dance, Mickey convinced Archie and others to come with him to Cheryl's party. He needed as many eyes on him as he could get. At first, Mickey felt pretty good about his chances. Then he saw Cheryl in that dress.

At the dance, the head cheerleader wore a full-length gown that made her look like royalty. she had changed into a skin tight, low cut dress that stopped right in the middle of her thighs. There very sight of it made Mickey's heart go into double time.

"Alright kids. We're going old school tonight," Cheryl announced, "Seven Minutes in Heaven."

Mickey's face grew hot. The last thing he needed was to be locked in a closet with Cheryl.

"So, who's going in the closet of love first?" Cheryl pondered aloud "my vote is A for Archie."

The Andrews brothers shared a nervous look. What was she up to?

"Do I have a second?"

"Uh, I'm not really comfortable with this," Archie stated. But it was no use.

"Yes Andrews!" Reggie shouted before Archie could even finish his sentence, the effects of a long night of drinking making its way to the surface. "Yes!"

"Let's see who's riding the ginger stallion tonight," Cheryl smiled as she placed an empty glass bottle on the table and gave it a spin. The crowd watched in silent excitement as bottle came to a slow stop, pointing right between two girls: Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge.

The two girls stayed silent, a nervous look on Veronica's face and a completely mortified one on Betty's. At that moment, Mickey realized what this all was about: This whole game was another chance for Cheryl to mess with Betty.

Reggie cracked up. "No way."

"Interesting," Cheryl commented, a mischievous gleam in her eye "It's clearly pointing to… the new girl. This should be fun," she said, running her tongue across her teeth.

"Um, I'm not doing this." Veronica stated strongly.

Cheryl shrugged, slowly strolling around the room "That's up to you. But, if you refuse to take your turn, house rules say the hostess has to take your turn."

Mickey nearly jumped out of her seat. Was she serious? Would Cheryl really make out with his brother?

Noticing the panicked look on his twin's face, Archie sighed as he clenched his jaw. "Come on, Ronnie."

The raven-haired girl shot him a challenging look. "Archie."

"It's better than the alternative."

The two of them allowed Cheryl to lead them into the closet, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Archie and Veronica stood awkwardly in the closet, desperate for a way to pass the time. "Do you miss New York?" Archie asked.

Veronica shrugged. "it's been less than a week but, yeah," she admitted in a small voice "I do."

Archie checked the timer on his phone. Six minutes and thirty seconds. "Your turn. Ask me a deep, probing question."

Veronica chuckled. "You and Betty. Are you… just friends?"

"We're not just friends," Archie disputed "We're best friends. My turn. Did you have a boyfriend in New York?" Why did he ask that?

"No. Could it ever become something more?" Veronica inquired.

Archie frowned. "Are you asking for Betty or yourself?"

Veronica paused. As much as she wanted to be a good friend to Betty, she couldn't help but feel drawn to the redheaded boy. "For…Betty. And you didn't answer my question."

"I have never felt…whatever I'm supposed to feel," Archie told her. That was a lie. Or maybe a half truth. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that there was a time where he asked himself the same questions Veronica and Betty were asking now. But that was a long time ago. Before Jason. Before Geraldine. Before his whole world cam crashing down.

"Have you ever felt it though?" Veronica asked. "With anyone?"

Archie paused. "Yeah. This summer." Geraldine was special to him. There was no denying that. But ever since he laid on Veronica Lodge… he became enveloped with a feeling he could not describe. "What about you?"

"Maybe once. You're a little more dangerous than you look, aren't you?" Veronica questioned, taking a step closer, trailing a finger across his chest. "All boy-next-doorish."

It was the briefest of contact, and yet Archie felt as if he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. "You have no idea."

The two now stood less than a foot apart from each other. Their lips dancing dangerously close. "We shouldn't do this," Veronica whispered.

Archie's heart raced. He knew this would upset Betty. Hurt her. The very thought of that after the look on her face at the gym… it was enough to make Archie sick to his stomach. But Veronica…from the moment he laid eyes on her, Archie had been drawn to the raven-haired girl from New York. More than Geraldine or anyone before. It was if they were connected somehow. Like she filled a hole that Archie didn't even know existed. Until now. "We definitely shouldn't do this,"

And they kissed.

* * *

As the next seven minutes passed slowly, Cheryl strolled over to Betty, the blonde-haired girl nervously clutching her purse as her body became tense. Ignoring the intense warning glare from Mickey, Cheryl leaned in and whispered into Betty's ear, causing her big green eyes to swell up with tears.

Before he could even attempt to intervene, Betty jumped from her seat and ran for the door.

"Betty!" Mickey shot up from his seat to follow, only for her to disappear in seconds. Mickey whipped his head back at Cheryl and scowled. "What did you say to her?"

"Just the truth," she replied with a sly smile.

At that moment, Archie and Veronica emerged from the closet, their faces covered in guilt and fear. "Where's Betty?" Veronica asked.

"Gone," Mickey responded. "She just took off."

"We have to find her," Veronica stated, taking off with Archie behind her.

As the two of them hurried off to find their friend, Mickey grabbed Cheryl by the arm and whispered into her ear. "We need to talk."

* * *

Teddy Bears. That was the one thing that always came to Mickey's mind when he thought of Cheryl Blossom's bedroom. Not the vast size or the Hilton-like furniture or even the mind-blowing sex that always left him breathless. It was always the teddy bears.

Sitting on an old-fashioned wooded bench next to Cheryl's bed was at least a dozen sweet and cuddly teddy bears. All a different shape and size. Each one carefully preserved. Mickey almost cracked up when he first saw them. The thought of the spit-fire Cheryl Blossom collecting something as sweet and innocent as teddy bears too adorable for words. Then he realized that it meant that she was more than appeared to be. That underneath all that tough girl exterior, was a sweet and gentle soul. Only now he wasn't so sure.

Mickey stood in Cheryl's room with his arms crossed across his chest, staring angrily at Cheryl as she stood in front of her bed. "What did you say to Betty?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she replied dismissively "just small talk."

"Small talk usually doesn't end with people running off in tears," Mickey disputed.

"I just told her the truth," Cheryl admitted finally "that Archie will never want her."

"You don't know that."

"Please," Cheryl rolled her eyes "Betty has been pining after Archie since the two of them could walk and he has not once made a move. Besides, he's had his eyes on Veronica from the moment she got here."

Mickey was silent for a moment. True enough, he had seen the chemistry between his brother and the new girl. But Betty knew Archie better than most. In some ways, better than him or their parents. "You were out of line."

"I was just having some fun. Cheryl stuck out her bottom lip as she saw the deep scowl on Mickey's face. "Baby Boo, don't be mad at me." Mickey's face didn't waver. "Maybe this will make it better." The redheaded girl smiled seductively as she stepped out of her heels, reaching behind her back pulling at the zipper to her dress.

"Cheryl," Mickey suddenly felt his face grow warm "what are you doing?"

"Seducing you," she replied, pulling down the shoulders of her dress revealing a tantalizing black bra with red lace trimming the edges. Cheryl smiled at the gob-smacked look on Mickey's face. "I know it's not my Rivervixens uniform, but I thought you might like it."

Mickey was at war with himself. Part of him wanted to stay mad out of loyalty to Betty. The other part, the one growing bigger by the second, wanted nothing more than to pounce on Cheryl like an animal in heat and kiss every inch of her body. Desperate not to fall back into old habits, Mickey backed away as Cheryl crept towards him, only for her to back into a corner.

Mickey's voice wavered as he struggled to resist. "Cheryl,"

"Shh," redheaded girl placed a finger on his lips, her dark brown orbs burning with lust as she whispered in Mickey's ear. "Baby Doll wants to play." And she kissed him.

Mickey's heart went from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat, the sweet sensation of Cheryl Blossom's lips on his sending an intoxicating rush through his entire body. At that moment, something inside Mickey began to snap. He'd been fighting his craving for the leader of the Rivervixens from the minute he got off the plane from Chicago and now he could barely resist. Cheryl Blossom was a drug and Mickey Andrews was a serious addict. Letting out a sound that could only described as primal growl, Mickey grabbed Cheryl by the waist and kissed her back with equal measure. As the two of them slipped their tongues down each other's throats, Cheryl pulled Mickey towards the bed, tossing his blazer on the floor. Giving him a sultry smile, the red-headed girl pushed the blue-eyed twin onto the bed and straddled his lap, kissing him over and over as Mickey played with the hem of her skirt. The redheaded girl gasped as she felt him grope her thigh, chuckling softly as she played with the buttons on his shirt. "I've been waiting all summer for this," she whispered.

Summer. That was the word that snapped Mickey out his trance. The season he spent every night wondering about what he and Cheryl could be. Using every ounce of mental strength he had, Mickey forced himself to pulled away from Cheryl, ending the kiss.

Cheryl frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I can't."

Cheryl gave him an amused look. "Don't tell your curfew's up already."

"Cheryl," Mickey let out a heavy sigh, his face becoming far more serious than Cheryl was used to. "What is this? What are we to each other?"

The redheaded girl tilted her head, a surprised and confused look in her eye.

"Do you know what I kept thinking about while I was in Chicago? I thought about you," Mickey revealed "and what you mean to me. And you mean a lot more to me than someone I call just when I want sex. I don't want to be your boy toy anymore, Baby Doll. I want to be your boyfriend," he admitted. Fred was right. It did feel good to say that out loud. "I want to take you on an actual date. I want to be your date to the next dance. I want to be in the front row at your next cheerleading competition. I want to see you in the stands at my baseball games. I want to walk you home from school after practice and take you out for a milkshake at Pop's. I want to hold hands walking down the halls at school. But most of all, I want us to able to talk to each other. Really talk to each other," he emphasized "and it doesn't have to be about Jason. It can be about anything. It can be about, how your day was. What college you want to go to. We've gone to school together since kindergarten," Mickey reminded "and I don't even know your middle name."

Cheryl was stunned. Nobody had ever told her these things to her before. Most of the guys she'd been with had only wanted sex. And since she was only ever looking for a good time, she didn't mind it.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Mickey pulled Cheryl off him and grabbed his jacket off the floor. "I'm going to go look for Betty. You got my number. If you think that there's even a chance of us having a real relationship," Mickey said hopefully "let me know. But if you're up at night looking for someone to make a booty call, don't bother."

* * *

Mickey left the party right after that, looking for any sign of Archie, Betty or Veronica. It a quarter past midnight, meaning that was only one place the three of them could be in Riverdale.

Mickey nervously walked into Pop's Diner, looking at the bright red booths as he spotted a familiar face: A dark haired boy huddled over an open laptop, a crown-shaped beanie on his head. Mickey smiled. "Jughead."

The dark-haired boy looked up from his computer and offered a friendly smirk. "Mickey Andrews."

The blue eyed twin grinned as he walked over and sat down next to his old friend. "It's good to see you again man. It's been a while."

"Sure has. Saw your brother earlier," Jughead commented as a fresh batch of fries was set on the table. "He was looking for Betty."

"Yeah so am I. I got admit, I'm surprised it took me this long to meet up with you," Mickey chuckled "I almost expected Archie to rent you my bed when I went away."

Jughead's content expression faded. "Archie and I… we haven't talked in a while."

Mickey frowned. "How is that possible?" Jughead was like Archie's second brother. How could they not talk over the whole summer?

Jughead shrugged. "This summer, Archie started acting weird. He kept blowing me off, acting like he was hiding something. After he canceled our road trip on July 4th, I finally got the hint: that he was done with me."

Mickey could hardly believe it. First, Jason Blossom died over the summer. Then, a new girl from New York came to town. Betty made a move on Archie who was now involved with a senior. And now the epic bromance of Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones had come to an end. "A guy goes away for one summer and the whole world turns upside down."

* * *

Archie stood on Betty's porch, the blonde-haired girl less than three feet away from him. Betty's face was pale, her eyes red and swollen from tears. Tears that Archie was all too responsible for.

"I'm not going to ask what happened at Cheryl's," Betty told him, her voice wavering as she struggled to remain calm "But I am asked you right now if you love me Archie," she questioned "or least like me?"

"Of course I love you Betty," Archie confirmed in a desperate tone. She was his light. His guiding north star, shining brightly even on his darkest of days. To imagine a life without her was like picturing day without the sun. And he just broke her heart. "But I can't give you the answer you want."

"Why not?" Betty persisted, her green eyes begging him to give her, to give them, a chance.

Archie felt his heart begin to break as he saw the tears swelling in her eyes. He'd give anything to make her pain stop. To be what he she so desperately wanted him to be. But he couldn't. _Why?_ Archie thought _Why would someone like her want to be with someone like me?_ He was a liar. He lied to his father about his music. He lied to his brother about Geraldine. And worst of all, he lied to all of Riverdale about the death of Jason Blossom. A seventeen-year-old boy who died. Just so he could save his relationship with a woman that was doomed from the start. Compared to him, Betty Cooper was an angel. "You are so perfect. I've never been good enough for you," he admitted shamefully. "I'll never be good enough."

Betty stared at him in silence, her eyes still on the verge on tears as she turned around and walked away. Archie just stood there, watching her as she walked inside and out of sight.

And so, it was not just one heart that broke that night, but two.

* * *

After catching up for Jughead, Mickey decided to head home. It was late and he was tired. As the young man walked up the block to his porch, he saw his brother sitting on the steps.

"Hey," Mickey greeted.

"Hey."

The blue-eyed twin sat down next to his brother. "You patch things up with Betty?"

The brown eyed twin let out a heavy sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Pretty sure I just made things worse. How'd things work out with Cheryl?" he asked.

"I ended it. Sort of," Mickey replied, earning a confused look from Archie "told her how I felt and to call me if she wanted to try for a real relationship."

"Ah man" Archie groaned as he ran a hand over his face "When did life get so crazy? I thought we weren't supposed to want to tear our hair out until our junior year."

Mickey chuckled. "Guess it means we're growing up."

"It sucks."

The two boys both laughed at that one. Mickey couldn't describe how much he missed this. Being with his brother. Taking comfort in his presence and the sound of his voice.

As the two of them sat in silence, Archie received a text that drained all the color from his face.

Mickey frowned. "What is it?"

"They found Jason Blossom's body."

* * *

The Andrews brothers stood side by side with Fred at the edge of Sweet Water at the break of dawn, the rest of Riverdale huddled around them as they watched the police drag the body of Jason Blossom out of the water, a massive bullet hole right in the middle of his skull.

Mickey felt sick to his stomach. Not only had one of his classmates died, he'd been murdered. One of people of Riverdale, people Mickey had known his entire life, put a bullet in the head of a seventeen-year-old boy. As the police wheeled the body into the medial van, Mickey's eyes traveled to the remaining members of the Blossom family, as Cheryl's eyes filled to brink with tears. Less than hour ago, Mickey was angry at Cheryl for taking advantage of him. Now all he wanted to do with give her a hug.

As the police drove into the distance, Mickey Andrews came to the dreaded conclusion that Riverdale would never be the same again.


	2. Chapter 2: A Touch of Evil

_Cheryl and Jason Blossom drove up to Sweetwater River early that morning, the two twins dressed in their matching white outfits as they stepped out of the car and stood on the shore, a small rowboat waiting at the edge of the water._

 _Cheryl looked out over the river, the rising sun glistening across the rippling water as she smiled. "It's going to be a beautiful day."_

" _Sure is," Jason agreed._

 _The two twins joined hands as they stepped into the boat and set themselves out on the water, Jason casually rowing the oars as Cheryl sat back and took in the view. She was happy, simply enjoying the beauty of the day and the presence of her loving brother, without a care in the world. Then everything went wrong._

 _The sky quickly became dark, the wind picked up rapidly and the once calm waves of Sweetwater River became rough and choppy._

 _Cheryl covered her head as thick drops of rain started to drop down from the sky. "The weather didn't say anything about a storm."_

" _We'd better get back before-," Jason's voice was drowned out as a massive wave crashed into the small boat, tipping it over and sending the Blossom twins into the water._

 _Cheryl gasped as she fell under the massive waves, holding her breath as she tossed and turned with the current. The redheaded girl jumped as she felt an arm slip around her waist, only to realize that it was her brother. Taking a moment to steady herself, Cheryl followed Jason as the two of them swam to the surface, gasping for air as their heads broke past the waves. Wet and cold, the Blossom twins made their way their way to the shore of Greendale, gasping for breath and soaked to the bone, when they saw something: a man, shrouded in shade of the trees. The twins couldn't make out his face, but they could make out the object in his hand: a gun._

 _Jason paled as he stepped in front of his sister as she cowered at the sight of the weapon. And without a single word the man aimed the gun at Jason and pulled the trigger._

 _BANG!_

 _In the blink of an eye, Jason Blossom's head whipped back as bullet pierced his skull, the young man falling to the ground. Dead._

" _NO!" Cheryl shrieked in fear and panic as her brother was murdered in front of her, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks as she fell to his side, calling out his name as she sobbed with no end in sight. "Jay-Jay come back. Come back," she begged._

 _As the sole surviving Blossom twin wept over her brother's corpse, the faceless man pointed the gun at Cheryl and fired._

* * *

Mickey Andrews woke up in a panic in the middle of the night, eyes wide and heart racing, his face covered in a cold sweat. He'd been having the same nightmare for the past three nights, ever since watching the police drag Jason's body out of the river. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Mickey took a steadying breath as he looked over at his brother's bed, only to find that it was empty. Curious, Mickey got up and walked over to the bed, where a small note lay on the pillow.

 _Couldn't sleep. Went for a run. Be back soon. A._

Mickey couldn't really blame him. Archie looked pretty spooked when he saw Jason's body. Realizing that he was no condition to sleep either, Mickey threw on a pair of pants and a tank top and headed downstairs.

* * *

Mickey stood alone in the backyard that night, dressed in black pair of sweats and a tank top, a pitcher's net on the far side by the fence and a bucket of baseballs by his side. One by one, the blue-eyed twin threw the baseballs into the target of the net, practicing everything from fastballs, to curves, to sliders. As he worked his way through half of the bucket, Archie came jogging up the street, wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and sneakers. "Hey," Mickey greeted.

"Hey," Archie repeated in a breathless voice "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Nope," Mickey let out a soft grunt as he hurled another fastball into the net. "You patch things up with Betty yet?"

The brown-eyed twin shook his head. "I've been trying all to get her to talk to me all weekend," Archie paused as a nervous look washed over his face "I think she hates me."

"Oh, come on. You know better than that," Mickey disputed, throwing a curve into the net "Betty could never hate you."

"You didn't see the look on her face, Mick."

"Maybe not, but you and Betty have been through way too much to just throw it all away like that. Give her some time," he advised "she'll come around."

"Is that what you're doing?" Archie asked him "giving Cheryl some time?"

Mickey felt a tug on his heartstrings at the mention of the sole surviving Blossom twin. "Not like I got much of a choice. She just found out her brother was murdered. Kind of makes it hard to ask her out on a clear conscious." Taking in a tired breath, Mickey wiped the beaded sweat from his face and started to clean up the backyard. "I still can't believe Jason was murdered," he vented "He was just a kid." As the blue-eyed twin collected all the scattered baseballs and slung the pitcher's net over his shoulder, he noticed that Archie had turned as pale a ghost, his dark brown eyes wide and full of guilt and fear. Mickey frowned. "You okay, Archie-boy?"

"Fine," Archie managed nervously "just…tired. Come on, let's get some sleep."

* * *

The next day at school, all anyone was talking about Jason Blossom. How shocked they were at the true nature of his death. How some wanted to hold a second vigil in his memory. How they couldn't believe he was gone.

Mickey stood next to Archie by the locker that morning, the blue-eyed twin dressed in a dark brown leather jacket, a black t-shirt, dark jeans and sneakers. The young baseball player bent down and placed a small hand-written letter next to Jason's locker, adding it to the growing pile of cards and stuffed animals left in his memory. He hadn't known Jason very well, but he always came out to support the baseball team at the home games. And the basketball team, and the volleyball team, and the hockey team. Jason was the heart and soul of Riverdale. And that was what Mickey wrote on the card.

"Hey."

The Andrews brothers looked up from Jason's locker as Jughead Jones walked up to them.

"Do you guys think I could use Jason as an excuse to get out of PE?" he asked.

Mickey shot the young writer a disapproving look. "Dude."

"What?"

"You shouldn't joke about Jason Blossom," Archie scolded.

"What? Sardonic humor is just how I relate to the world."

* * *

Mickey followed his brother into the science room, where the teacher instructed everyone to pair off for the dissection.

"Can I be with Cheryl?" Mickey asked, earning a surprised look from the redheaded girl.

Cheryl gave the blue-eyed twin a curious look as he sat down next to her. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Mickey replied honestly "I'm sorry about your brother."

Cheryl's face softened at the mention of her late twin, her dark brown orbs filling with pain and sadness "Jason was the best."

"If there's anything I can do to help," Mickey offered.

Cheryl pursed her lips together "That's sweet, Mickey. But unless you were at Sweetwater River and know who shot Jason…,"

"I wish I did. Also, I wanted to apologize for how I acted at the party," he added "I could've handled things better and if I was out of line, I'm sorry. It's just," the blue-eyed twin paused nervously "I've had a crush on you since the seventh grade," he admitted "and after what happened last spring, I just couldn't help but think we might have a shot."

Cheryl stared at Mickey for a moment, the honest sincerity of his words once again catching her off guard.

"Guess I was kidding myself. A construction worker's kid and the richest girl in town?" Mickey sighed "Anyway, I'm not the best at science but I can take point on this if it's too weird for you," he offered, gesturing down at the dead frog in front of them.

"Weird why?" Cheryl asked, earning an uncomfortable look from Mickey. "Oh," The redheaded girl's eyes widened in realization "You mean because my brother's being dissected with a blade like this one," she assumed picking up the scalpel "probably right at this very moment? Don't worry, I'm fine," she assured him, a cold gleam entering her eye "In fact," in one fluid motion, Cheryl Blossom took the scalpel and stabbed it into the frog, slicing a long slow line across the stomach "I'm amazing."

* * *

Mickey sat outside at lunch that afternoon, catching up with Reggie as they ate.

"So, what was she like?"

Mickey frowned. "What was who like?"

"Duh. Cheryl," Reggie stated obviously "She is a grade-A hottie and you were tapping that for weeks. Now spill."

"No comment."

"You are such a prude," Reggie groaned as he slammed his head on the table "Fine. Keep your boy in the dark. But you have to get me a date with Josie."

"Didn't she turn you down like three times last year?" Mickey questioned.

Reggie shrugged, a confident smile on his face. "She's just playing hard to get. It's all part of the game, my friend."

"Yeah? Well then you might want to play a new game because she's kicking your butt pal."

"Oh, that is cold," Reggie chuckled "I thought we were boys."

"We are boys," Mickey assured him "That's why I'm telling how it is. And the truth is, you have no chance with Josie."

As the two boys laughed, Mickey spotted a strange sight out of the corner his eye, one that made the smile fade away from his face.

Archie sat at a nearby table with Betty, Veronica and Kevin, the brown-eyed twin softly strumming his guitar as they listened. But it was Betty that caught Mickey's attention. She was upset, almost to the point of tears. And the more Archie played, the worse she got. Betty tried to hide it, but Mickey could see she was hurting. So did Archie. The brown-eyed twin stopped playing, saying something to Betty that Mickey couldn't hear. Betty quickly got up from the table, walking away as fast she could, only for Archie to catch up with her.

* * *

"Archie," Betty choked back a sob as she struggled to speak, her soft green eyes swelling with tears "when I think of the place where I feel safest and the most myself, I think of us," she revealed "sitting in a booth at Pop's."

For a moment, Archie saw a sliver of hope. Betty was his solace, his sanctuary. To know that she felt the same way, it made him feel like there might be a way to fix this whole mess. "Me too."

"But that's not true anymore," Betty gave him a heartbroken look "I thought I could pretend that this weekend didn't happen. But I can't."

"Betty please. We can fix this" Archie begged "just tell me how to fix this. I'll do whatever it takes to fix this."

"No," Betty pulled away as he tried to take her hand "No. I can't give you the answer that you want. That's what you told me," she reminded "and that's what I'm telling you now." And she walked off.

* * *

Betty Cooper sat alone in the student lounge, her big green eyes over flowing with tears as they streamed down her cheeks.

"Betty."

The blonde-haired girl looked up from the floor and saw Mickey Andrews standing in the doorway.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Betty sniffed looking back down at her hands. "I'm fine," she sobbed.

"Oh, Bets" Mickey gave his friend a sympathetic look as he sat down next to her "you're a terrible liar. Is this about Archie?"

The blonde-haired girl choked back a sob. "He doesn't like me. Not the way I like him."

"I know how that feels," Mickey sighed "I told Baby Doll how I feel last weekend. I haven't heard a word from her since."

"I'm sorry."

Mickey shook his head as she gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't worry about me. How are you feeling?"

"Heartbroken. Humiliated," Betty listed off "I don't get it. Last spring, Archie and I were closer than ever," the blonde-haired girl played with her finger nails as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "I really thought we had a chance." As she let out another sob, Mickey placed a brotherly arm around Betty's shoulder and pulled her close, letting the blonde-haired girl rest her head on his shoulder as she cried. "You know what the worst part of it is? When I asked Archie why we couldn't be together, he said it's because he doesn't think he's good enough," the blonde-haired girl took a shaky breath "But he's always been good enough."

Mickey stayed silent as Betty chocked back a sob, gently rubbing her shoulder as she cried. "Do you want me to stay here?" he asked nervously "or should I get Polly?"

At the mention of her sister, Betty gave her friend a confused look. "Wait, you don't know? About Polly?"

Mickey frowned, shaking his head. "We had a fight over the summer. I've been trying to talk to her ever since I got back. I figured she was just avoiding me. Why?" Mickey did not like the reluctant look Betty's face. "What happened to Polly?"

* * *

Polly Cooper and Jason Blossom were Riverdale High's biggest power couple. Born into rivaling families, they were the small town's very own Romeo and Juliet. Practically joined at the hip from the moment they got together. They it all came crashing down. As far the town knew, the Jason and Polly had a big fight early in the summer and broke up. Later, Polly had a mental breakdown and was sent to live in a group home upstate. And then, Jason Blossom died. Right around the time that Polly was sent away.

It was the timing of everything that Mickey sick to his stomach. Mickey knew Polly better than most. Which meant he knew more about her relationship with Jason than most.

When Mickey first went to Chicago, he and Polly talked at least once a week, until right around July 4th. The day Jason went missing. The day Polly was sent away. The day after Mickey did the one thing he could never make peace with all summer. The young baseball player laid back on his bed, his mind racing as he tried to make peace with what he knew and what he'd done. What if it wasn't a coincidence that these happened at the same time? What if it was his fault Polly was in that home? That Jason was dead?

As a massive pit enveloped his stomach, Mickey sat up from his bed a called the one person who could help him make sense of all this.

" _Hello?"_

"Mom," Mickey smiled as he heard the sound of Mary Andrews' voice through the phone "It's me."

" _Hi honey,"_ Mary greeted _"Are you okay? You sound sad."_

"Yeah. It's been a long day."

" _Is this about Cheryl?"_ Mary assumed.

During summer, Mickey told his mother about his feelings for Cheryl. He didn't tell her that they were having sex though. Mickey was no straight A student, but he wasn't stupid.

"Polly," he corrected "Her parents put her in a group home."

" _Oh my God,"_ Mary gasped in a shocked tone _"What happened?"_

"I don't know. All I know is that it has something to do with Jason," Mickey swallowed a growing lump in his throat "and that she was sent away right around the time we made that call."

" _Mickey,"_ Mary spoke to her son in a soft, reassuring tone _"I know what you're thinking, and this isn't your fault,"_ she assured him _"if Polly's sick, it's because of Jason, not you. If it weren't for you, that poor girl would be God knows where getting worse by the day, instead of getting the help that she needs. Honey, you kept Jason and Polly from making a big mistake."_

The blue-eyed twin started to pace around the room as his mother talked, the mention of the late Blossom twin giving him an uneasy feeling. "Polly might be better off, but Jason isn't."

" _What do you mean?"_

Mickey took a nervous breath before answering. "He's dead, Mom."

" _Oh my God,"_ Mary let out a horrified gasp _"What happened?"_

"He and Cheryl took a boat out to Sweetwater River on July 4th. They went under. Cheryl made it to the shore. But Jason," As he struggled to tell his mother the story of Jason Blossom's death, Mickey looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a sight he couldn't believe: Cheryl Blossom in Betty Cooper's bedroom.

The redheaded girl stood in front of girl next door's vanity, checking her makeup as the blonde-haired girl sat on the edge of her bed, a stunned expression on her face. Mickey's eyes nearly fell out of his head. What was Cheryl doing at Betty's?

" _Mickey?"_ Mary called as her son went silent. _"Are you still there?"_

"Mom, I'll have to call you back," he responded, "I love you." As he hung up the phone, the blue-eyed twin hurried over to his window, watching the two young women from across the street.

As Cheryl finished her makeup and started working on her hair, Betty slowly rose from her seat and started to speak. Mickey couldn't tell what she was saying, but he knew one thing: Betty was mad.

As Cheryl turned around, Betty quickly closed the gap between them snarled, causing the redheaded girl to reel back in fear.

Mickey was really confused now. As much as he wanted her to stand up to Cheryl, he couldn't see Betty doing anything that could intimidate her.

Needing answers, Mickey quickly headed downstairs and crossed the street, where he saw Cheryl hurry into her car. "Cheryl!" he called. But it was no use. Without a word, the queen bee of Riverdale High got into her and drove off into the night. With nowhere else to turn, Mickey walked up to the Cooper home and knocked on the door, where a blonde woman answered the door. Alice Cooper.

"Mickey Andrews," she greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Cooper. Can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course. You know you're always welcome here."

Surprised by her unusually welcome attitude, Mickey awkwardly stepped into the house as she welcomed him inside.

"Would you like some apple pie?" Alice offered, gesturing to the pastry on the stove "Fresh out of the oven."

"Uh, no thanks," Mickey politely refused, the awkwardness of the situation getting worse by the second. For a long time, Mickey and Archie felt anything but welcomed by Alice Cooper. She shot them daggers every chance she got. Now she was treating Mickey like a long-lost son. "Did I just see Cheryl Blossom walk out of here?"

"I'm afraid so," Alice confirmed with a disappointed sigh "Betty invited her. I don't why she tortures herself. Did you know Cheryl had the gall to accuse our Polly of murdering Jason?"

Mickey's eyes widened. "She said that?"

"She certainly did."

 _So that's what made Betty so mad,"_ Mickey thought.

"You know Mickey, I never got a chance to thank you before," Alice told him in an appreciative tone. "For what you did for Polly.

Mickey felt an all-to familiar pit return to his stomach. "I was just looking out for a friend. Mrs. Cooper… Betty told me that Polly's in a group home. I was wondering if there was any way for me to reach her?" he asked nervously "see if she's okay?"

"I'm afraid not," Alice disputed "Polly needs some time to herself. To get better."

Mickey nodded, not happy with the answer but understanding the logic behind it. "Jason must've messed her up pretty bad."

"You have no idea."

* * *

After talking to Alice, Mickey decided to head home, where he saw a sight he couldn't believe: Jughead and Archie stood at the edge of his porch, arguing. Badly. As Jughead prepared to head off, Archie placed a firm head on his chest, a threatening look in his eye. If Mickey didn't know any better, he would've thought his brother was about to hit Jughead in the face. As Fred walked out, Jughead shrugged off the brown-eyed twins arm and walked off.

"Jughead!" Mickey called as he chased after him "J, wait up!"

The young writer came to a reluctant stop as he sighed. "What do you want Mickey?"

"I want to know what's going on with you," he stated "last spring you and Archie were like brothers, now you're not talking anymore? What happened?"

"Archie's new girlfriend happened."

"Geraldine?"

Jughead's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "You know?"

"That my brother was hooking up with a senior last summer? Yeah," Mickey shrugged casually "so what?"

"She's no senior," Jughead scoffed "She's a succubus who's got Archie brainwashed."

"A what? What are you talking about?" Mickey demanded.

"It's not my place to say." And without another word, Jughead Jones disappeared into the night.

* * *

Mickey didn't get an ounce of sleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Polly. About Archie. About Cheryl. About everything. Which was why he was sipping on a very large cup of coffee just to stay awake. The blue-eyed twin sat in the student lounge in a dark blue tracksuit with white sneakers, his eyes surrounded in dark circles as Reggie talked.

"So now the cops are grilling me now," he scoffed "Like I would kill the one good QB we had in this school. I mean come on, if a student did kill Jason, we all know it wasn't a jock right?" Mickey frowned as he noticed the mischievous look in his best friend's eye. "I mean, isn't always some weird, death worshiping, anti-social creep who's working on his manifesto? Someone like," Reggie's eyes drifted over to the black sheep of Riverdale High "Jughead?"

Mickey knew exactly where this was going. "Reggie."

"Tell me something Jones," the football player went on "Did you do stuff to the body? After?"

The soft spoken Jughead rolled his eyes. "It's called necrophilia Reggie. Can you spell it?"

Enraged, the football player shot up from his seat and closed the gap between them, ready to beat the young novelist into a pulp, when Archie stepped between them.

"Leave him alone, Reg."

Reggie scoffed. "Since when do you care Archie?" he asked. "Oh my God." the young athlete's eyes widened in realization. "Did you and Jughead kill him together?"

Mickey stood up after that one, only to watch Archie shove Reggie. Hard.

Enraged and provoked, Reggie shoved the brown-eyed twin right back, knocking him into a vending machine as the fight began.

Mickey and Moose quickly stepped in, desperate split up the two brawling classmates. As the two of them rolled on the ground, Reggie wound up his fist punched Archie right in the face.

At that moment, Mickey saw red. The blue-eyed twin grabbed his best friend by the back of shirt and pulled him off his brother, slamming Reggie into a wall as Mickey glared at him.

"Try that again and you'll be the one on the ground," he warned.

At first, Reggie looked ready to fight, but then he remembered what happened to the last guy Mickey fought.

"Go cool off," Mickey ordered "Now."

Letting out a low grunt, Reggie turned around and walked out of the lounge giving Mickey an angry glare from the corner of his eye.

Letting out a deep breath, Mickey turned around helped his brother to his feet. "You okay, Archie-Boy?"

"Yeah," Archie groaned as he rubbed the side of his face "Thanks."

"No problem," Mickey winced as he saw the growing bruise on his brother's face. "Come on. Let's get you to the nurse."

* * *

After stopping by the nurse's office, Archie was sent home early. Mickey was given a pass to take him.

"Here," Mickey reached into the freezer in the kitchen and handed Archie an ice pack. "this should help with the swelling."

"Thanks," Archie groaned as he felt a rush of cold hit his face.

"I got to ask," the twin brothers turned around as Fred walked into the kitchen "You get that shiner from Jughead?"

"Reggie," Mickey corrected "for protecting Jughead."

"See Dad, me and Jughead have been arguing about this girl," Archie admitted.

Fred's eyes widened slightly. "Oh."

"Because, there's this girl."

"There usually is."

As Archie went on talking to his father, Mickey's mind started to wander. Who was this girl Archie was so obsessed with? And why did Jughead hate her so much? Come to think of, Mickey couldn't think of any student at Riverdale High with a name like Geraldine. And Riverdale was a small town. A real small town. Curious, the blue-eyed twin headed upstairs to his room and found his yearbook, looking for answers about the mysterious Geraldine. Over and over he scanned the pictures and pages and after scanning the book four times, Mickey was only able to find one Geraldine in all of Riverdale High: Miss Grundy. The music teacher.

* * *

Archie sat alone in the kitchen, pressing the ice pack to his face while Fred did some work in his office. As that moment, Mickey came marching down the stairs, a serious look in his eye. "We need to talk. Now."

Confused, the brown-eyed twin followed his brother upstairs to their room, where Mickey locked the door behind them. Mickey quickly ran a hand through his hair, his bright blue eyes full of worry and strife. "Please tell me that this isn't the Geraldine you've been talking about."

Mickey hefted up the yearbook from his bed, opening it up to a photo of Riverdale's newest teacher: Miss Grundy.

Archie's face went pale, his eyes widening as his heart began to race.

"Archie," Mickey's heart broke as he saw the look on his brother face. It was true. He slept with his teacher. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," he admitted "I just happened. Mick, I know what you're going to say, but Geraldine and I,"

"Please stop talking," Mickey begged "before my head explodes," the blue-eyed twin took a deep breath as he flopped back on his bed.

"Wait," Archie warned nervously "there's more."

"More?" Mickey repeated. How could this get any worse?

"Geraldine and I were at Sweetwater River on July 4th."

Mickey shot up from the bed. "What?"

"Around six am," Archie went on "we heard a gunshot."

Mickey's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "As the gunshot that killed Jason Blossom? And you haven't told anyone?"

"It's complicated."

"Cheryl's brother is dead!" Mickey snapped in a hushed voice "A seventeen-year-old kid took a bullet to the head and while everyone else thought it was accident, you two kept your mouths shut for _two months?_ "

"If I tell the police I heard the gunshot, they'll find out about me and Geraldine," Archie reminded "They won't let us be together."

"So, you're lying just to protect some predator?"

"Don't call her that!" Archie snapped.

"What else should I call her?" Mickey questioned "She's thirty-year-old teacher who screwed a fifteen-year-old kid! And before you go on some speech about how you two care about each other let me remind you about one thing: _she_ left _you._ Your classmate was killed in the middle of summer and instead of helping get through it, she cut you off and ran for the hills!"

"Shut up!"

Mickey grunted as Archie shoved him into a wall, the blue eyed twin staring at his brother in shock and disbelief. "Who are you? Because the Archie Andrews I know, the brother I grew up," he emphasized "would never stay quiet about something like this." Letting out a slight scoff, Mickey slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out.

* * *

Mickey sat silently in history class, a deep scowling look on his face as a single thought kept running through his mind: Archie and Grundy.

His brother was being brainwashed. Brainwashed and violated. Trapped in a toxic affair with a woman twice his age. The second bell rang, Mickey got out of his seat and marched into the arts wing of the school. There, on the second room on the left, was Miss Grundy.

The music teacher sat alone in the middle room, gracefully playing her cello as she always did between classes. There was a time when Mickey thought fondly of Miss Grundy. Now the very sight of her made him sick to his stomach.

The young baseball player burst into the music room, causing Miss Grundy to jump up from her seat.

"Mickey," the music teacher greeted with a welcoming smile "what can I do for you?"

The blue-eyed twin stayed silent, his heart racing with fury as he locked the door and pulled the blinds over the window. "When you first got to Rivderdale, you sure turned a lot of heads," he complimented in a low, intense voice. "I guess that made things easier for you."

Grundy frowned nervously. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't lie to me. I know everything about you and my brother," Mickey revealed, causing Miss Grundy to turn stark white. "Including Sweetwater River."

"I-I know how this much look," Grundy managed in a terrified voice "but I truly, truly care about your brother."

"What did I just say about lying to me?" Mickey questioned, struggling to keep his anger under control.

"It's not a lie," she disputed. "Archie is kind and talented and-,"

"Shut up." Mickey snapped. "This isn't one of your classes. _I_ talk. _You_ listen."

Miss Grundy shrunk back as he closed the distance between them, the blue-eyed twin backing her against a wall as her heart raced. Of all the people to find out about her and Archie, why did it have to be him?

"If it were up to me you'd be at the bottom of Sweetwater River with Jason Blossom," Mickey snarled. "But right now, you are the only person in this town who can help him with his music. So, here's what you're going to do," he instructed. "You are going to keep tutoring my brother. You are going to give him all the skills his needs to get to the top of the charts. But if you ever touch him again," he threatened "I will expose you. I will tell my father. I will tell the sheriff. I will go to my next-door neighbors, the owners of the Riverdale Register, and have them put your face on the front page of every paper from LA to New York."

Miss Grundy trembled as Mickey listed off all her greatest fears.

"There'll be nowhere left for you to hide," he promised. "Do I make myself clear?"

The music teacher nodded, the severity of Mickey's threats terrifying to the point that she couldn't speak.

"Good," And without another word, Mickey walked out, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Mickey sat with Fred in the school bleachers that night, waiting for the first football game of the year to begin. As the Rivervixens and the Pussycats prepared for their pep rally show, Mickey spotted Archie standing near the sidelines. With Miss Grundy. Mickey scowled, his jaw tensed, his hands balled into tight fists.

"You alright, Mick?" Fred asked.

"Fine. Why?"

"You got that same look on your face from when Moose tried to scare you, Archie and Jughead out of all your Halloween candy when you were ten."

"It's been a long day," Mickey offered, his eyes still locked on Archie as he walked away from Grundy, a million thoughts racing through his head. None of them good. "I'll be right back." The young baseball player got up and walked out of the bleachers, following his brother behind the bleachers, when he spotted a familiar face. "Reggie." The football player turned around as his best friend called out to him "About this morning-,"

"Don't even worry about it, bro," Reggie dismissed with a smile. He knew how protective Mickey was of his brother. He and his brother Oliver were the same way. Mess with one, you mess with both. "We're cool."

"Thanks." Mickey smiled as the two of them bumped fists "Now go win this game."

Reggie let out a light-hearted scoff "Like you have to ask?"

Mickey chuckled as he walked off, finding Archie standing behind the bleachers with Jughead.

The young writer glanced over at Mickey and smirked. "Looks like the gang's all here."

Archie turned his head around and locked eyes with his brother, a silent tension passing between them. "I'm going to talk to Sheriff Keller tomorrow," he informed "tell him about the gunshot."

Mickey nodded, a stern look on his face. "Jug, can you give us a sec?"

Nodding silently, the young writer straightened up and walked away, leaving the two Andrews brothers awkwardly standing together.

"I'm glad you're going to talk to Keller," Mickey praised "You're doing the right thing."

"I should've done it sooner."

 _No argument there,_ Mickey thought. "Archie, whatever happened between you and Grundy… it can't happen again," he insisted, earning an annoyed look from his brother "She's poison, Arch. Teacher or not, convinced you to cut off your best friend and lie about a murder investigation." He reminded.

Archie stayed silent for a moment, clenching his jaw as he processed his brother's warnings. "I got to get on the field."

"Arch," Mickey called as his brother attempted to walk off "Victory shakes after the game. You me and Jughead. My treat."

The brown-eyed twin gave his brother a small smile. "Deal." As he headed off to join the rest of the team on the field, Archie bumped into on the Rivervixens practicing their routine: Betty Cooper.

Archie paled, his heart racing he struggled to speak, desperate to say anything that would mend all the hurt that he'd caused her.

Instead it was Betty who spoke first. "Oh my God Arch," the blonde-haired girl gave him a concerned look as she stared at the massive bruise on his face "Your eye."

Archie inched away as she reached out to touch his face, the kind and caring gesture catching him off guard. "Betty. I-,"

Before he could even finish his sentence, the entire varsity football team came charging in at high speed, splitting Archie and Betty apart as they dragged him onto the field.

* * *

After talking to Reggie and Archie, Mickey went back to his seat in the bleachers, solemnly listening to Mayor McCoy give her speech to hold on the memory of Jason Blossom. Mickey's eyes wandered over to Cheryl as stood on the field with the rest of the Rivervixens, a heartbroken look spreading over her face at the mention of her brother. It killed him to see her like that. So hurt and vulnerable. As the Rivervixens and the Pussycats began their pregame show, Mickey once again found himself in awe of Cheryl Blossom. A few moments ago, she looked ready to cry; now here she was, smiling and dancing like she didn't have a care in the world. It amazed him how strong she was, how she could just completely recompose herself on the drop of a dime.

As the show ended, the crowd cheered as the Riverdale Bulldogs charged onto the field, Fred and Mickey rising from their seats as Archie lead the pack. Then it happened.

Cheryl bolted, taking off from the stage like a thoroughbred at the Kentucky derby, racing off of the field and into the night.

* * *

Cheryl sat alone in the locker room, sobbing uncontrollable as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Cheryl?"

The redheaded girl stayed silent as Veronica walked in with Mickey at her side. "are you alright?"

"Cheryl," Mickey felt his heart begin to break as he and Veronica sat on both sides of her, watching the redheaded girl cry into her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Jason," she managed between tears "He's gone."

Veronica started rubbing gentle circles across Cheryl's back as she continued to cry. "I know."

"You don't understand," Cheryl sobbed "He was supposed to come back."

Mickey and Veronica stared at each other confused. He was supposed to come back?

"I'm alone," Cheryl whispered between sobs.

"No," Mickey reached down and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze "you're not."

Chocking back a sob, Cheryl leapt up and threw her arms around Mickey, burying her face in his chest as she wept.

Surprised, Mickey gently held her in his arms, holding her close as he whispered into her ear. "You're never alone."

* * *

After the game, Mickey, Archie and Jughead went over to Pop's, eager for a moment to catch up, when they spotted two familiar faces sharing a booth: Betty and Veronica.

Archie's eyes locked onto the blonde-haired girl, her soft green orbs shining with her familiar warm light as she smiled. "Do you guys want to join us?"

Archie smiled, his heart swelling with joy as he saw the welcoming look on Betty's face.

"Yes," Jughead agreed "if you're treating."

Betty laughed as Jughead climbed over the booth and sat down next Veronica.

"Veronica Lodge," the New York native introduced.

"Jughead Jones," the young writer responded, "the third."

To the outside world, it looked like there were five people in that booth, Archie, Betty and Mickey on one side, Jughead and Veronica on the other. But in reality, it was three: a blonde haired girl, a raven-haired girl and the luckiest brown-eyed, red headed boy in the world.

* * *

After getting milkshakes, the five friends went their separate ways. Veronica and Jughead went home while Mickey walked side by side with Archie and Betty, the three of them still smiling and laughing.

About halfway home, Archie gave his brother a nervous look. "Hey Mick, can you give us a sec?"

Nodding silently, Mickey walked a head, leaving the brown-eyed twin and the blonde-haired girl alone empty sidewalk.

"Seventh Grade," Archie stated after a moment's silence.

Betty frowned. "What?"

"You asked me if it was impossible to imagine the two of us together," Archie explained "It isn't. I used to imagine it a lot. In the seventh grade, after the Valentine's Day dance. It was our first real dance and I was afraid to go because I didn't know how dance. So, in true Betty Cooper fashion," he complemented "you tutored me. We spent the next two weeks waltzing around each other's living rooms to get ready. You went out and bought this beautiful blue dress," He remembered "and when I was running late because of my tie, you helped with that too. And when we finally got to the dance, we were the first ones out on the floor." Archie smiled as the blissful memories ran through his head "We danced all night. Our parents practically had to drag us out of there. And as the last slow song played, all I kept thinking about was how I asked you to marry me when we were kids. And maybe, just maybe," he repeated in a soft voice "that the girl I was meant to be with had been right in front all along" Archie swallowed as a nervous lump started to grow in the middle of his throat "I spent months thinking about that night," he went on "trying to figure out if that was how I really felt, or if I just got caught up in everything, and if you felt the same way. And just when I was ready to tell you how I felt… my mom left," Archie's voice began to fill with sorrow "and I broke. And you put me back together. You were the one who got me out of bed in the morning. The one who stayed up with me through half the night when I needed to talk. The one who let me cry my eyes out on birthdays and holidays because she wasn't there. The only one who could convince me that everything was going to be okay. And now whenever I think of the one woman I can always count on, the one who will be there for me no matter what," he emphasized "that's you Betty. Without a doubt."

Betty was speechless. "Archie."

"Couples don't always work out. Sometimes they do. But most times, they break up and they cut each other off and they never see or talk to each other again." Archie's brown orbs overflowed with fear and dread as his voice began to crack "I don't want that to happen to us. I'm sorry Betty. I am so sorry," he repeated "that I hurt you and that I let you down. I wish I could take it back. I wish I could go back to that night in the seventh grade and tell you all the things that I wanted to say and that you wanted to hear. I wish I was strong enough to take that chance now, but I don't know what'll happen if we don't work out. All I do know is that I need you in my life," he said with the utmost certainty. "You're my best friend and the best person I know and I just," the brown eyed twin took a shaky breath as he struggled to speak "I just don't want to lose you."

Betty was stunned. For Archie to say all that to her, for him to cherish her that much, it made all of her pain and hurt melt away. "You won't." the blonde-haired girl placed a gentle hand on his cheek, running her thumb across the bruise on his eye, her soft green orbs pleading with him to hear her. "You will never lose me Archie," she promised "whether we get married and have a bunch of kids, or break up, or just stay best friends forever. No matter what happens," she emphasized "I will always be here for you and I will never leave you." Betty's heart nearly burst as she saw worried look Archie's face. It reminded her of the first few months when his mom left. Full of insecurity, heartache and an overwhelming fear of being alone. Desperate to silence his fears, Betty gently wrapped her arms around the brown-eyed twin and pulled him into a warm hug.

Archie closed his eyes as he took in a calming breath, burying his face in the crook of Betty's neck as she rested her head on his shoulder, the warmth of her embrace melting away all his fears and doubts. As the two pulled away from each other, Archie looked the blonde-haired girl in the eye and gave her a small smile. "I love you, Betty."

Betty smiled. It may not have been the type of love she was hoping for, but it was just as real and more precious as anything she could have imagined. "I love too, Archie."

* * *

"I know everything," After giving his brother and Betty some space, Mickey called Jughead. He'd been hoping that the two them might be able to talk some sense into Archie at Pop's, but after funning into Betty and Veronica, that plan went straight out the window. "About Archie, Miss Grundy, Sweetwater River, all of it."

" _Messed up isn't?"_

"It's sick," Mickey emphasized. "I don't know what's worse, the fact that Grundy screwed my brother or that she actually tried to make me think she cares about him."

" _Wait, you confronted her?"_ Jughead asked.

Mickey nodded. "I told to keep her hands off Archie or I'd have Sheriff Keller at her door before she could even blink."

" _You think she'll listen?"_

"I think my brother's racing out of the house before school three days a week to be alone with a toxic ex he is nowhere near moving past yet," he stated.

" _So, what do you want to do about it?"_ Jughead asked.

"I want to put Grundy in a ten-foot hole and let her rot," Mickey snapped. "But since she's only person who help Archie with his music, for now we'll just have to watch and wait."

" _Wait, you want to spy on your brother?"_

"Jason Blossom is dead," Mickey reminded "A kid was shot point blank in the head right between the eyes. Polly's been shipped off to God knows where because of some mental breakdown. And now my brother is mixed up with a predator. This town is coming apart at the seams, Jug."

" _Mickey,"_ Jughead spoke in a cautious tone as he heard the rage in his friend's voice _"What are you going to do if Grundy makes another move on Archie?"_

"Whatever it takes to keep my brother safe."

* * *

 _Archie stood alone in the woods in the dead of night, cold, tired and hurting as he fell to his knees. His lungs burned, his bones and muscles ached and he couldn't take another step. He wasn't sure how long he'd been running or what was after him, all he knew was that he couldn't take another step. Dressed in nothing more than a dirt covered t-shirt and jeans, the cold night air howled as it blew, causing Archie to shudder as his entire body cried out in pain. He wasn't sure what exactly was broken. All he knew was that everything hurt. The worst of all was his heart. It felt like it was on fire. And with simple heartbeat, the pain intensified and radiated across his body. He was dying._

 _Gasping for air, Archie looked up as he struggled to stand, spotting a dazzling orb of light coming into view on the horizon, its golden aura quickly spreading across the sky. A sunrise._

 _As the light continued to spread across the woods, Archie realized that the sun wasn't just rising. It was moving. Towards him. Desperate but unable to speak, Archie watched in awe as the Sun came and stopped right in front of him._

 _It was a person. A girl, dressed in a light-yellow sundress and matching heels. Her golden hair was tied in a sweet ponytail with a soft white bow, her eyes a soft and gentle green, her entire body giving off a warm dazzling glow._

 _Archie gasped. It was Betty._

 _Staying silent, the blonde-haired girl reached down and gave Archie a sweet and comforting smile, running her hand across his face before placing it on his heart._

 _Archie gasped as he felt her light passed through him, a surge of heat coursing through his body as his every one of his wounds and aches disappeared in an instant._

 _Slowing rising to his feet, Archie rose to his feet and stared at Betty Cooper, the Sun, lost in complete awe and amazement at she'd just done. She just saved his life. With no other way to show his gratitude, Archie wrapped his arms around Betty and pulled her into a massive hug._

 _Betty smiled she hugged him back, gently rubbing circles in his back as he buried his face in her neck._

 _Archie let out a deep sigh as he held her close, taking in the warm glow of her light. Pulling himself back ever so slightly, Archie kept his arms around Betty's waist as he looked into her eyes, her bright green orbs looking back into his deep brown ones. She had always been there for him. Always picking him up putting him back together. With a nervous hand, Archie reached up and undid the bow holding up her hair, allowing her golden blonde locks to fall loosely down her face. She really was beautiful. Why hadn't he seen that before? For a moment, Archie stood completely still, his hand gently resting on Betty's cheek as his heart began to race. And then he kissed her._

 _When she didn't react right away, Archie was afraid he made a terrible mistake, but once Betty kissed him back, he smiled deepening the kiss as he placed his hands around her waist._

 _Betty grinned from ear to ear as she kissed Archie back with equal measure, her arms wrapping around his neck as her light exploded._

 _Archie didn't realize it at first, but the moment his lips touched Betty's her light multiplied by a hundred-fold, covering everything in sight with her warm, heavenly glow._

 _And so, with just a simple kiss, night turned into day._

* * *

Archie's eyes snapped open as his dream came to his end, slowly sitting up in his bed as he tried to process what he'd just experienced. He had never dreamt about Betty like that before. He'd never dreamt about anyone like that before. And that _kiss._ It was intense, but in the way that most kisses were. There was a purity to it, a deep level of intimacy that no amount of lust or passion could ever hope to replicate. As he tried to make sense of it all, Archie noticed a beam of light shining from the window as the sun started to rise over the Cooper house.

* * *

Mickey took in a deep breath his alarm clock went off, letting out a low groan as he reached over and shut off the alarm. The blue-eyed sat up in his bed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, glancing over at his brother's bed. "Hey."

Archie sat alone on his bed, his guitar and music notes scattered in front of him as he sat in front of the window. "Hey."

"How long have you been up?"

"Since sunrise," Archie responded, "I couldn't sleep. Started working on a song."

"Can I hear it?"

The brown-eyed twin shifted nervously on his bed. "I only have the chorus," Archie warned, softly strumming his guitar as he looked down at his notes and began to sing in a soft and intimate tone.

" _You are the light that ends the dark,_

 _Your smile heals the broken hearts_

 _You're an angel don't you know?_

 _You're ponytail's a halo_

 _Maybe one day we'll be something more,_

 _Who knows what the future has in store?_

 _So glad to have you in my life,_

 _My ray of sunshine, girl next door."_

As he stopped playing, Archie gave his brother an anxious look. "So, what do you think?"

"It's really good," Mickey assured him, nervously locking his fingers together, "Is it-?"

"It's about Betty," Archie confirmed, setting down his guitar "I didn't know it at first, but then I saw the sunrise," the brown-eyed twin's voice trailed off as he glanced out the window, the morning sun sitting over the blonde-haired girl's house across the street. "I had a dream about her last night. She was the sun."

"You dreamt she was the sun?"

Archie nodded.

"So… does this mean you're going to ask Betty out?" Mickey asked.

Archie was silent for a moment, the brown-eyed nervously looking down at his music sheets. "No."

"No? You just spent the past two hours writing a Betty a ballad after dreaming she was the _sun_ ," Mickey reminded "and you're not going to ask her out?"

"What if it doesn't work out?" Archie questioned "What if we get into a big fight and break up? What if we end up like-?"

"Like Mom and Dad?" Mickey finished.

Archie gave his brother a worried look. "I can't lose Betty, Mick. As long we stay friends, I know we'll always be there for each other. But being boyfriend and girlfriend… it's just too risky," the brown-eyed twin glanced out the window towards the blonde-haired girl's house. "I don't know what life would be like without her."

Mickey stayed silent as he gave his brother sympathetic look. He shouldn't have been surprised. The absence of Mary had done a real number on both the Andrews boys, changed them in ways that there was no going back from. Archie less confident now, quick to second guess himself and desperate for approval. Mickey…Mickey was a different story entirely. After Chicago, he could at least try and make peace with all. But Archie… Archie never got that chance. Maybe that was why he got involved with Grundy in the first place. "Archie, I can't say what will happen if you and Betty try to be more than friends," Mickey told him "But I what I do know is that you two have something special. And someday, you're going to figure out how deep it goes. If you don't, Betty won't be your best friend. She'll be you're biggest regret."

Archie nodded, remembering the childhood promise he made to Betty, and how he had three more years to keep it.

"So, what are you going to do with the song?" Mickey asked.

Archie sighed. "I don't know."

"You want my advice? Hold onto it," Mickey suggested "and if you ever do finish it, make sure Betty's the first to hear it. Come on, let's get ready for school."

* * *

"Thank you."

Mickey sat with Cheryl in science class the next morning, dressed in a olive green field jacket, a grey t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. The blue-eyed twin looked up from his work as Cheryl spoke, ending the awkward silence between them. "For what?"

"For helping me," Cheryl elaborated "at the pep rally."

Mickey gave her a brief smile. "It was nothing."

"No. it wasn't."

Once again, Mickey found himself surprised by Cheryl Blossom. The soft, delicateness in her voice. The raw vulnerability in her dark brown orbs. He had never seen her like this before. Cheryl always seemed so strong, so confident. Mickey got the idea that this was the Cheryl that very few people ever got see. Maybe no one now that Jason was gone.

"It wasn't nothing," Cheryl disputed "for what it's worth, I wasn't upset with what you said at the party. I actually thought it was really sweet," she revealed causing Mickey's heart to skip a beat. "Maybe after all this… awfulness with Jay-Jay is over, maybe we could," Cheryl's voice trailed off as Sheriff Keller and principal Weatherby walked into the room, their eyes almost instantly finding and locking in on Cheryl Blossom.

Cheryl wasn't eve surprised. "It's about the autopsy, isn't it?"

Sheriff Keller nodded. "We don't have to do this here, Cheryl," he offered.

"It's alright, Sheriff," she told him, getting up from her seat "I'm sure they'll find out eventually.

"Cheryl," Mickey's eyes widened in horror as he watched Sheriff Keller place a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. "What is going on?"

The redheaded cheerleader gave the blue-eyed twin a grief-stricken look. "I'm guilty."


	3. Chapter 3: Body Double

Mickey watched in shock as Sheriff Keller led Cheryl out of the classroom, the redheaded girl fully ready to meet her fate.

"Wait a second." Mickey jumped out of his seat as they walked out of sight, following Cheryl, Sheriff Keller, and Principal Weatherby as they stood outside of his office.

Weatherby placed a hand on Mickey attempted to enter. "That's far enough, Mr. Andrews."

"This is crazy. There is no way Cheryl killed Jason," Mickey insisted "Anyone with eyes could see how much she loved her brother."

"Go back to class, Mr. Andrews." the principal instructed in a stern tone, the cold look in his eyes warning the young baseball player not to push.

But Mickey wouldn't listen. "I'm telling you you're making a mistake!"

"Mickey," Cheryl's calm voice caused the starting pitcher to end his argument with the principal. "It's okay."

Mickey looked into Cheryl's eyes, her dark brown orbs full of guilt as she was fully prepared to face whatever came next. "Cheryl," Mickey's pale blue orbs overflowed with concern and confusion "What did you do?"

As the two redheads locked eyes, Principal Weatherby lead Cheryl and Sheriff Keller into his office, closing the door behind him, leaving Mickey on the other side.

* * *

Archie paced nervously through the halls early that morning, mentally preparing himself to speak with Sheriff Keller and Principal Weatherby about July 4th. As the brown-eyed twin took a calming breath, his brother came up from behind and grabbed his arm, causing Archie to jump as Mickey came into view.

"Come with me," Mickey lead his brother over to an empty corner in the halls, a panicked and urgent look in his bright blue orbs. "Sheriff Keller arrested Cheryl."

"What?" Archie's eyes widened in shock "Why?"

"I don't know. This doesn't make any sense," The blue-eyed twin quickly ran a panicked hand through his hair, fighting to keep his emotions in check. "Why would Keller ever think-," Mickey's voice trailed off as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye: a stack of newspapers sitting in a small metal rack. Since the school didn't have an active newspaper, the staff decided to give out copies of the Riverdale Register instead. Drawn in by the front-page headline, Mickey quickly grabbed a copy from the stand and began rapidly reading the article.

Mickey's eyes widened. His body went rigid. His hands crumpled the paper as they balled into tight fists.

Archie knew what that meant. Mickey was mad. "What is it?"

"Where's Betty?"

* * *

Archie followed his brother as he marched into the student lounge, the blue-eyed twin lost in a mindset of anger.

Mickey quickly scanned the faces of every student in the room, spotting the one he was looking for sitting with Kevin and Veronica: Betty Cooper.

Tightening his fists, Mickey marched over to the girl next door and slammed the newspaper onto the table in front of her, causing the Betty and her friends to jump. "Tell me you didn't know about this," he ordered.

Confused by the accusatory tone in her friend's voice, Betty picked up the paper from the table, her soft green eyes filling with shock as she read the headline. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Veronica asked.

"Betty's parents leaked Jason's autopsy report," Mickey snapped "I know you guys are angry about Jason and Polly, but this," Mickey jabbed a finger at the photo of the late Jason Blossom on the front page "is going too far!"

"Mickey, calm down," Archie told him.

"I swear, I had nothing to do with this," Betty assured him, a shocked and embarrassed look on her face "I had no idea my mom would do something like this."

"Well, she did," Mickey confirmed sharply "and thanks to her little revenge stunt, Cheryl's been arrested."

"Mickey, calm down," Archie repeated.

"I can't calm down!" Mickey barked, "Not after seeing my Baby Doll in handcuffs!"

"Oh my God," Kevin and Veronica gasped together.

Betty scrunched up her face in disgust. "You and Cheryl?"

"Yes. Fine. Baby Doll's Cheryl. I've been sleeping with Chery," Mickey confirmed angrily "are you happy now? Now can new please figure this out before I punch Kevin's dad in the face?" Boling with rage, Mickey whipped his arm back and slammed it into the wall, the sound of the blow causing all eyes in the lounge to fall on him.

"Mickey," Archie placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, the frightened worried looks on their classmates' faces making him uneasy. "Calm down."

"This doesn't make any sense," Veronica pondered, "Why would Jason's autopsy get Cheryl arrested?"

"Because her story doesn't add up," Betty's eyes stayed glued to her family's newspaper, as shocked and intrigued look on her face. "According to this, Jason didn't die on July 4th. He died on the 11th."

At that moment, Veronica's eyes widened at the new information, her mind racing back to pep rally as she whispered. "He was supposed to come back."

Archie frowned. "Who was supposed to come back?"

"Jason. Mickey," the New York native gave the young baseball player a shocked and urgent look "remember at the pep rally? It sounded like Cheryl was saying-,"

"He was supposed to come back," Mickey ran a hand through his hair as a shocked expression quickly enveloped his face. "Oh man."

"What are you guys talking about?" Archie demanded.

"The boat ride. Jason never planned on coming back," Mickey slowly sunk onto the couch next to Veronica, his eyes drifting to the photo of the late Blossom twin. "He was running away from home."

* * *

Mickey was right. Not only did Jason try to run, he used Cheryl to do it.

She told the Sheriff everything. How Jason wanted to fake his death. How he and Cheryl came up with the plan to make everyone think he drowned at Sweetwater River. How she'd spent the past two months desperately waiting for any sort of sign that her brother was okay.

Even before the whole school was gossiping about the new breakthrough in the death of Jason Blossom, Mickey knew that this was far from over. Not if Alice Cooper had anything to say about it.

* * *

Mickey stood in Betty's bedroom later that night, the blonde-haired girl inviting him over after his shift at the construction yard. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"See for yourself." Betty handed Mickey a copy of tomorrow's edition of the Riverdale Register, with Cheryl's statement to the police as the front-page story.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"She's crazy," Betty let out an exasperated sigh as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "The Blossoms are burying their only son and my mom's turning their tragedy into a side show."

"Can't you talk her out of it?"

"I tried. She won't listen."

"We've got to do something," Mickey insisted "I know there's no love lost between you guys and the Blossoms, but Cheryl and her family don't deserve this."

"I know. That's why I need your help," Betty requested "I want to restart the Blue & Gold."

Mickey frowned. "The school newspaper?"

Betty nodded. "It'll give the people of this town an unbiased version of the truth and we can find out who killed Jason," the blonde-haired girl gave her friend a pleading smile "Want to help?"

"I had to write three extra credit papers just to get a B- in English last year," Mickey reminded.

"I know. I helped you write them."

"Then why would want me working for the school newspaper?"

"Cheryl," Betty replied simply "I see how much you care about her. Having you on the paper, it'll keep me from making the same mistakes as my mom."

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, remembering the look on Cheryl's face at the pep rally when she realized her brother was never coming back. If there was a chance that he could keep her from ever feeling that pain again… "Okay. Okay, I'll help," he relented, earning a beaming smile from Betty "there's just one problem: You were in LA all summer and I was Chicago. We are three months behind on an active murder investigation with nowhere to start."

"We don't," Betty gave her friend a knowing smile "but I know someone who does."

* * *

Archie sat in the principal's office, with Weatherby and Sheriff Keller watching him as the brown eyed twin struggled to speak. "I'm here because I think I know something about what happened to Jason Blossom," he managed in a nervous, dry tone "People are saying Cheryl heard a gunshot on July 4th?"

"That's what she's saying," Sheriff Keller confirmed.

Archie's heart raced as he croaked out. "I heard it too. I was there," he admitted "at Sweetwater River. I didn't say anything because like everyone else, I though Jason had drowned."

"Was anyone with you?" Sheriff Keller asked.

"Yes," Archie's heart nearly leapt out of chest as he remembered spending the morning with Geraldine. "my… dog, Vegas."

* * *

Mickey sat with Betty, Archie and Kevin in the student lounge the next morning, the blue-eyed twin dressed in a light grey Henley shirt, green cargo pants and dark brown leather boots. Archie had just given his statement to Sherriff Keller about the gunshot.

"So, are you like a suspect now?" Veronica inquired.

"My dad says we all are," Kevin informed her.

"Not me girl," the New York native disputed "I don't know these people."

"Oh my God guys," Kevin exclaimed in an excited tone "Should we re-watch _Making a Murderer_ on Netflix tonight?"

"Sorry I can't. I've got a date tonight," Veronica revealed with a smile.

Archie frowned. "You do?"

Mickey raised an eyebrow at the slightly jealous tone in his brother's voice. _You snooze you lose Archie-boy,_ he thought.

"Hey V Lo."

The small group of friends turned around as the Riverdale High varsity football captain, Chuck Clayton, called over to the new girl, with Reggie and Moose by his side. "Pick you up at seven?"

"I'll be waiting," Veronica answered with a flirty smile.

"You're going out with Chuck?" Betty gave her new friend a concerned look. "He's kind of a player," she warned.

"Reggie's a player," Mickey stated. "Chuck Clayton's a straight-up dog. Better watch yourself, New York."

"Who cares?" Kevin questioned "He's the captain of the football team and the coach's son. In Riverdale that's like… dating a Kennedy."

"What does that make dating a Blossom?" Veronica inquired.

The young baseball player groaned. "Here we go."

"Mickey Andrews and Cheryl Blossom," Veronica chuckled. "I got to say, I did not see that coming."

"I did," Archie gave Betty and Kevin a knowing look "Remember the seventh grade?"

Betty gasped. "That's right!"

Mickey lowered his head, his face slowly turning red. "Please don't tell this story."

"But it's so sweet," Betty exclaimed with a smile. "Mickey had the biggest crush on Cheryl in middle school," she revealed.

"He wouldn't make a move because of Jason kept scaring everybody off," Archie chimed in, earning a mortified look from his brother "until the seventh grade Valentine's dance. Jason had the flu, so Cheryl went by herself. Mickey asked her to dance. And she said yes. And right before Cheryl's parents took her home, she kissed him."

"It was Mickey's first kiss," Betty added "And when it was Valentine's Day at school," she went on "Mickey left a bag of chocolate kisses in her locker, signed 'a secret admirer'."

"Aw. That is so cute." Veronica gave Mickey a sweet smile, the blue-eyed twin's face now as red as his hair. "So, what happened? Why aren't you and Cheryl Riverdale's redheaded power couple?"

Mickey's face grew solemn as he and his brother shared a pained expression. "When our mom left… Archie I and were in a dark place. Guess you could say I scared Cheryl off," Mickey's eyes drifted down to his knuckles. "maybe more than once."

* * *

"If print journalism is dead, what am I doing here?" Jughead Jones stood in the old Riverdale High school newspaper, the desks and computers all covered in a thick layer of dust.

"The Blue & Gold isn't dead Juggie," Betty disputed, the blonde-haired girl standing next to Mickey as she nervously wrung her hands together "It's just…dormant."

"You've been working on a novel right, J?" Mickey remembered "about Jason Blossom?"

"I am," the young novelist confirmed playing with a magnifying glass "Riverdale's very on 'In Cold Blood'."

"Which started out as a series of articles," Betty reminded "We want you to come and write for the Blue & Gold," she offered "give you an outlet for your voice."

Jughead was silent for a moment, quietly pondering his options before he asked. "I'll have full creative freedom?"

"We'll help," Betty responded "and we'll edit. But it'll be your story," she assured him.

"Doesn't sound like creative freedom," Jughead criticized "but… I'm in," he agreed "as long Mickey doesn't do any of the editing."

"Hey," Mickey chuckled as he struggled to fake a hurt expression. "Alright Bets, you've got your team. So, what's the plan?"

Betty gave her friends an excited smile. "Everybody's focused an Cheryl and the gunshot, but there is one story from July 4th that nobody's talking about."

"Dilton Doiley and his scouts," Jughead finished.

At that moment, Mickey face grew pale, as he remembered the last time he saw the young troop master, lying beaten and battered in a hospital bed. "You want us to talk to Doiley?"

"Actually, I was thinking Juggie could talk to him," Betty corrected in anxious tone "After what happened with you two last spring…,"

"It's okay, Bets," Mickey assured her "I get it. Uh, just let me know what I can do, okay?"

Betty nodded, a sympathetic look in her eye. She knew how badly Mickey wanted help, but putting him in the path of Dilton, that was like leaving gasoline in a bomb factory.

"Quick question," the young baseball paused as he stood in the doorway of the Blue & Gold "People aren't still talking about it, are they? About me and Doiley?"

Betty and Jughead quickly shared a nervous look. "Not until you blew up in the lounge."

"Great," Mickey sighed as he hefted his backpack over his shoulder and walked out. So much for leaving the past behind.

* * *

After helping Betty set up the Blue & Gold, Mickey headed home to get some rest. When he walked inside the house, he could feel an uneasy tension in the air. Curious, Mickey walked upstairs and went straight to his room, where he found his brother silently brooding by the window.

"Hey," Mickey greeted tentatively "What's going on?"

"Dad grounded me."

"What?"

"He ran into Sheriff Keller and found out about the gunshot," Archie explained. "I have to be home by 7 every night for the next two weeks."

"But you didn't do anything wrong," Mickey disputed "Hang on." The blue-eyed twin hurried down the steps, finding his father sitting in the living room, watching TV. "Dad. You grounded Archie?"

Fred nodded. "Yes, I did."

"But he didn't do anything wrong," Mickey insisted.

"He lied to me Mickey," Fred reminded "He looked me right in the eye and he lied to me."

"He was scared. He didn't know some psycho was going to be out there with a gun," Mickey justified "He was trying find a place to work on his music."

"That doesn't excuse him lying to me."

"But Dad-,"

"That's enough," Fred interrupted sharply "Your brother is grounded. End of discussion."

* * *

"Why did you tell them about the gunshot?"

Archie stood in the music room with Miss Grundy the next morning, the music teacher nervously pacing back and forth.

"They were going to crucify Cheryl," Archie justified "I had to help her."

"We were in the clear," Miss Grundy reminded sharply "No one was asking questions. No one was looking at us."

"I'll stick to my story," Archie promised. "I'll protect you."

Miss Grundy stayed silent for a moment, a nervous and paranoid look in her eye. "I'm suspending our lessons."

Archie quickly straightened up, a shocked and hurt look on his face, "What?" the varsity quarterback quickly chased after Grundy as she walked off, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her back around. "Geraldine, you can't."

"It is too dangerous for us to been together right now," she insisted "It's bad enough that your brother-," Grundy cut herself as her voice began to waver, her eyes overflowing with fear.

Archie frowned. "What about my brother?"

* * *

Mickey sat with Reggie in the student lounge early that morning, the two of them laughing and talking sports when Archie marched up to him, a stern and angry gaze on his face as he looked at his brother. "We need to talk."

Frowning, Mickey got up from his seat and followed his brother to a vacant corner. "What's up?"

"You threatened Geraldine?"

Mickey grimaced. He should've known this was coming. "Archie, calm down."

"Calm down? You told her you were going to go to the cops!" Archie whispered angrily.

"I am trying to protect you," Mickey justified "you need to keep your guard up with Grundy,okay? She is toxic."

"She is the only one in town who was willing to help me with my music," Archie snapped "and thanks to your little stunt, she just cancelled our lessons."

Mickey's eyes widened at the new revelation, his blood slowly starting to boil. "I'll talk to her."

"No. No," Archie repeated strongly "You've done enough. I'll figure something out. You," the brown-eyed twin jabbed a finger in his brother's face "stay away from Geraldine."

* * *

Veronica was not happy. After what seemed like an uneventful date Chuck Clayton, the raven-haired girl came to school the next day only to find herself the victim of a cruel slut-shaming prank. Needless to say, she was on the warpath.

Betty tried to calm her down, to convince her to take the classic "good girl" approach, but Veronica wouldn't have it. The New York native was out would for blood, and she would settle for nothing less. Fueled by a fiery need for vengeance, Veronica Lodge barged into the boy's locker room with an embarrassed Betty right behind her, marching straight up Chuck Clayton and demanding one thing: "Take. This. Down."

Chuck just smiled, a cold, arrogant gleam in his eye as he spoke. "See, that high-toned, rich girl attitude, might've worked on the betas you dated back in New York. But this," Chuck raised an arm and gestured to the football players behind him. "is Bulldog territory."

"Ronnie."

The two girls turned around as the Andrews brothers came into view, the brown-eyed twin wearing nothing more than a pair of briefs while his brother wore dark jeans. Standing there, in all their half-naked glory, Veronica was able notice some subtle differences between the twin boys besides the color of their eyes.

Archie was the leaner build, with chiseled abs and sculpted arms like a roman statue, his messy red hair combed to side of his face. Mickey on the other hand, kept his hair neatly slicked back like a mobster, a look that went perfectly well with his broad shoulders and massive chest.

The brown-eyed twin gave the New York native a concerned look as he saw the hurt and angry expression in her eyes. "What's going on here?"

"See for yourself,"Veronica handed her phone over to the Andrews boys, the two of them sharing a look of shock and disgust.

Archie scoffed. "Unbelievable."

"I really don't see what all the fuss is about," Chuck insisted with chuckle.

"That's because you've got no class, Chuck" Archie told him.

"Take it down Clayton," Mickey ordered in a dark tone. "Now."

Chuck gave the blue-eyed twin a challenging look. "Or what?"

"Or I make you."

At that moment, a tense silence fell over the locker room, as all eyes fell on Mickey Andrews and Chuck Clayton. Veronica didn't know what was going on, but she got the feeling Mickey's threats carried weight, that he the one guy you never wanted to upset.

Chuck just laughed. "Looks like the Mad Dog isn't as long gone as we thought."

Veronica frowned. Since when did Mickey go by that?

"Tell me something Mickey," Chuck inquired "why do you care about some washed-up diva from New York when you have got one of the hottest girls in Riverdale waiting in your bed?"

Mickey's heart started pounding then, his hands balling into tight fists as he started to see red.

"I got to admit, when I heard the news I was impressed," Chuck praised. "So, how long you been blowing Cheryl's back out?"

 _Bam._

Before anyone could even react, Mickey put both hands on Chuck's shoulders and slammed him into lockers. Hard.

"Mick!" Archie shouted. He recognized that look in his brother's eye. And if he didn't get him to calm down, this situation would only get worse.

Betty saw it too. "Mickey, don't."

Chuck let out a smug smirk as Mickey kept him pinned against lockers, low dark laugh escaping his lips. "You want to take a swing at me, baseball boy? Go ahead," he challenged "Just remember one thing: I'm not Dilton Doiley."

"Mick," Archie repeated in a stern voice. "Let's go."

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, his pale blue eyes blazing with rage as he slowly removed his hands from Chuck's shoulders, giving the captain of the football team a warning glare as he walked off.

* * *

"What was that about?" Veronica walked with Kevin and Betty on their way to class, her head still reeling from what she had seen in the locker room. "And why did Chuck call Mickey Mad Dog?"

"Right. You and I click so well, sometimes I forget you're actually the new girl," Kevin stated, "Mickey's got a temper."

"Obviously," Veronica stated. Mickey looked ready to murder Chuck when he mentioned Cheryl.

"He didn't always. It's a long story," Betty replied uncomfortably. But one look from Veronica told her that she wasn't going to let this go. "When Mrs. Andrews left town, Mickey started acting out. Talking back to his teachers. Arguing with his dad. Getting into rights. Mostly to protect Archie."

"Archie?"

"He was pretty shaken up when his mom took off," Kevin chimed in.

"He was devastated," Betty emphasized "He wouldn't eat. He'd barely sleep. He practically withered away to nothing."

"So, he wasn't always a red-headed Adonis?" Veronica asked.

"Hardly," Kevin scoffed. "back in the eighth grade, he was skinnier than Jughead."

"It made him an easy target for other kids to pick on," Betty continued "Mickey tried to stop them. And when words didn't work… he'd use his fists. Riverdale's a small town. Most of the parents knew Mrs. Andrews had left, so they gave him slack."

"Until Dilton Doiley happened," Kevin reminded in a grim tone.

"The boy scout leader?" Veronica's eyes widened as she recalled her few encounters with the thin Asian-American boy "He's half Mickey's size."

"They were on rival baseball teams back in middle school," Betty explained "and when they both tried out for the JV team in high school, Mickey got the last spot."

"Okay. But from what I hear, Mickey was God's gift to Riverdale baseball," Veronica interrupted "why would he let some peewee rivalry get to him after winning the championships?"

"V," Betty gave her friend a sad look. "They didn't win."

* * *

 _It was a week after baseball season had ended. Mickey Andrews sat alone on the living room couch at Reggie's, the Mantle family home bustling with partying teenagers while the blue-eyed twin silently sipped on his beer. His third one that night._

" _Dude," Reggie gave his best friend a smile as he walked over, beer in his hand and smile on his face. "Lighten up."_

" _Sorry, Reg." Mickey's face stayed locked in a deep scowl as he took another sip of his beer. "I don't really feel like celebrating."_

 _Reggie placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder "Bro, it's okay. We had a good run. We are the first Bulldogs to make to win regionals in ten years," reminded "Not even Varsity has done that."_

" _We lost he championships Reg," the blue-eyed twin stared miserably at the bottom of his cup "I let my stupid mom get to me and we lost."_

 _When the Bulldogs made it to the championships, Mary told Mickey that she would come down from Chicago and see him play. It would've their first time seeing her since she left over a year ago._

 _After that, Mickey ate, slept and breathed baseball. He made the team stay late for almost every practice. He went to the batting cages with Reggie on weekends He spent an extra hour lifting weights almost everyday. Then, a day before the big game, Mary cancelled. Her firm had just caught a big case and they needed all hands-on deck._

 _Mickey tried not to let it get to him, but being so excited about seeing his mom again, it was enough for him to give up a run early in the third inning. The one run the Bulldogs could make up._

" _Mickey."_

 _The two baseball players looked up to see Dilton Doiley standing in front of him, a mischievous glint in his eye and a beer in his hand._

 _Mickey let out an irritated grunt. "What do you want, Doiley?"_

" _Just wanted to say congrats for taking the Bulldogs to the championships," he replied in a somewhat friendly tone._

 _Mickey took another long sip from his drink, "Thanks for bringing the beer."_

" _Too bad you blew that third inning, huh?"_

 _At moment, Mickey looked up from his beer and scowled. His pulse speeding up as his anguish started to transform into anger._

" _Don't get me, wrong. You were great the rest of the game," Dilton complimented "Guess some people just don't handle the pressure very well."_

 _Mickey let out low growl as he shot up from his seat, a murderous look in his eye as he Reggie quickly stepped in between them._

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Reggie gave his friend a nervous look as he spoke in a calming voice "easy, Mick. Hey Dilton," Reggie's voice took on a stern authoritative tone as he looked at the young scout leader "why don't you do yourself a favor go take walk while you still can?"_

" _You heard him," Mickey snarled, his eyes still blazing with fury "get out of here, nature boy."_

 _With a dark sense of satisfaction in his eyes, Dilton simply shrugged and turned around, taking a small sip from his drink as he said. "Guess it's a good thing your Mommy wasn't here to see you crash and burn, huh?"_

 _At that moment, Mickey snapped. He forced his way past Reggie and marched over to Dilton, grabbing him by the shoulder and slamming his fist into Dilton's face._

 _After on punch, Dilton was sent stumbling back, falling against a wall as Mickey grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Guess it's a good thing your Mommy's not here to see this."_

 _Dilton let out a massive groan as Mickey slammed his fist into his stomach, knocking the wind out his lungs._

 _The whole crowd gasped and shrieked as Mickey continued to clobber Dilton, pounding his face with a massive left hook, knocking the glasses of his face as the scout leader fell to the ground._

" _Mickey!" Archie, who had been talking with Betty and Kevin on the other side of the room, quickly became overwhelmed with dread as he saw his brother brawling with the much smaller Dilton Doiley. The brown-eyed twin hurried over as quick as he could, struggling to make his way through the crowd as he called out. "Mickey, stop!"_

 _With no sign of letting up anytime soon, Mickey got down on the floor and continued to pummel into Dilton, the young scout leader unable to defend himself, as Mickey landed punch after punch, his hands quickly becoming stained with blood._

* * *

"It took four guys to pull him off Dilton that night," Betty continued "By the time the cops showed up, Mickey had cracked two of his ribs and dislocated his jaw."

"My God," Veronica gasped.

"Mama Andrews saved the day," Kevin chimed in "she got the Doiles to drop the charges since Dilton was the one that bought the booze. But he was suspended for two weeks."

"And that," Betty concluded "is how Mickey became the Mad Dog."

* * *

"Are you out of your mind?" Archie stood with Mickey in the halls, the blue-eyed twin rummaging through his locker as brother continued to reprimand him. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Clayton deserves a good punch in the face," Mickey grumbled, the blue-eyed twin dressed in an olive-green bomber jacket, a black t-shirt, dark jeans and sneakers.

"Mickey," Archie spoke to his brother in a pleading voice "You cannot get into trouble again."

The blue-eye twin slammed his locker shut as he shouted. "He doesn't talk about Cheryl like that!"

"You're still on academic probation," Archie reminded, raising his voice slightly "Weatherby's watching you like a hawk. Are you trying to get kicked out of school?"

Mickey blinked slowly, letting out a deep breath as he struggled to remain calm. Archie was right. After the incident with Doiley, Mickey's parents it clear that if he got into any more trouble, he would be living in Chicago permanently. And as much he enjoyed spending the summer with his mother in the windy city, Riverdale was his home. "I'm sorry. It's just…everything that's going on with you, Polly, Cheryl. And now Chuck…,"

"It's okay. I get it," Despite what other might think, Archie knew his brother wasn't violent person, but a protective one. "Just…head to batting cages after school and blow off some steam," he suggested.

"I've got to help Dad at the site after school. Don't worry," Mickey gave his brother a comforting smile as he saw the nervous look on the brown-eyed twin's face. "I'll just pretend the ground's Clayton's face."

As the two brothers shared a brief laugh, Mickey shrugged his bag over his shoulder and headed off to class, leaving Archie alone with his thoughts.

He had to keep an eye on Mickey. Despite what happened with Dilton, Mickey generally only lost his temper when he felt like the people he cared about were in trouble. All those fights in middle school, they were to protect Archie. To shield his broken heart from the burning lies that town spread about his parents in their private whispers. With Jason Blossom's killer still on the loose, there was a good chance blue-eyed twin would remain on edge until he was caught. As the varsity football player got lost in his thoughts, he spotted a familiar face walking down the halls. Veronica Lodge.

"Ronnie, wait up." The brown-eyed twin jogged over to the raven-haired girl as she made her way to class. "I just wanted to apologize for what Chuck did to you. That was messed up."

The raven-haired girl gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Archie. But, you've got nothing to be sorry for. You're not the one who gave me a 'Sticky Maple'."

"Still doesn't make it right."

"I'm just glad Mickey didn't go all Mad Dog on Chuck," Veronica frowned as she noticed the worried look on the football player's face. "Betty told me what happened with your brother and Dilton."

"Yeah," Archie pressed his lips together nervously "Only a matter of time, I guess."

"I'm sorry about your mom," Veronica apologized "She and Mickey must've been pretty close."

"Actually, I was the Mama's boy," Archie revealed, only slightly embarrassed."Me and mom used to do lots of things together." Archie smiled as the happy memories ran through his mind. Listening to old records Mary inherited from her grandfather. Watching old black-and-white musicals when he got sick. "When she left," Archie's smile faded away and morphed into a heartbroken expression "it was the rumors that really got to me. People kept saying… that she had a boyfriend. That my dad was hitting her," Archie grimaced as the painful memories fled through his mind "they just made the whole thing worse."

"I know how that feels. When my father was arrested, everyone turned on him," Veronica told him in a heartbroken voice "They kept calling him all these… awful things."

"Do you miss him?" Archie asked. "Your dad?"

Veronica shrugged. "Just every waking moment," she admitted shyly "Does it ever stop?" she asked in a small voice "the hurt of them not being around?"

"If it does, I'll let you know. But it does get easier," Archie assured her in a sympathetic tone.

"How?"

"You lean on the people who are still there for you. I'd like to be that for you," Archie offered "if you'll let me."

Veronica smiled. Truly, she had never met anyone like Archie Andrews. So kind and caring. "Thanks, Archiekins. And thank you for not going all macho on Chuck."

Archie frowned. "You don't think I'd fight for you?"

"I didn't see you trying to pummel Chuck Clayton in the locker room," she teased.

"We've got tackle drills after school today," Archie informed "Trust me, when I'm done, they're going to have to carry Chuck off the field on a stretcher."

* * *

Archie sat alone in the middle class, silently working on his pop quiz, when he heard a faint whisper behind him.

"Archie."

The brown-eyed twin nervously turned his head around and saw Cheryl Blossom smiling at him. "Thanks to you, I'm no longer the girl who cried gunshot," she whispered in an appreciative tone "You defended me when not even my parents would."

"I just told the truth," Archie replied humbly.

"Which is why I want to repay your kindness," Cheryl informed him.

"Cheryl," Archie suddenly found himself feeling uncomfortable "that's truly not why I came forward."

"Save the 'aw shucks' for Betty," Cheryl told him with a light chuckle "You get one wish Archie. Nothing is off the table," the redheaded girl bit on her bottom lip as she gave the varsity football player a lustful look "except for my body."

Archie felt grow hot. Whatever Cheryl was offering, he truly did not feel like he deserved it. But he did know someone who did. "Actually, there is one thing you could do for me."

* * *

Mickey Andrews was having a bad day.

After his little run-in with Chuck, all anyone was talking about was the return of the Mad Dog. All day he'd been debunking a long line of ridiculous rumors as to why he'd spent the summer in Chicago. From a temporary restraining order from the Doiley family to serving a sentence juvie. Every new rumor was crazier than the last and every new face cowering in fear made Mickey feel like a freak. By the time the last bell rang, Mickey wanted nothing more than to get to work and start hitting stuff with a sledgehammer.

"Mickey."

The blue-eyed twin turned around saw a redheaded girl walking up to him. "Cheryl," the blue-eyed twin quickly fixed his hair as he turned his attention to the leader of the Rivervixens. "What's up?"

The redheaded girl gave him a seductive smile, "How would you like to go on a date with me Friday night?"

Mickey's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Mm hmm," Cheryl confirmed in a singsong voice, taking her finger and drawing circles across his chest.

Mickey smiled, taking his arm and wrapping it around her waist. "Not that I'm complaining, but what made you change your mind?"

"Archie," she revealed, earning a confused look from Mickey "he told me how you convinced to come forward about the gunshot. Thought I should show my appreciation. So, seven at Pop's?"

Mickey's smile faded at the reasons behind Cheryl's offer, and with a heavy heart he replied. "No."

"No?" Cheryl folded her arms across her chest, giving Mickey a shocked and surprised look. "You've been pining after me all summer, and now that I finally agree to a date, you say no?"

"Trust me, I can hardly believe it myself," Mickey assured. "Cheryl, I don't want you to go out with me because you think you owe me one," he explained "or because my brother asked you to. I want you to go out with me for the same reason I want to go out with you. Because you want us to be together. When you came onto me at Reggie's party, no one asked you to," Mickey reminded "You did it because you wanted to."

Cheryl stared at Mickey in a stunned silence. Nobody had ever turned her down before. Then again, no one had claimed to care about Cheryl like Mickey had before.

"Look, if you want to do Archie a favor, find him somebody to help him with his music," Mickey suggested "Grundy canceled their lessons after he testified," he informed, the baseball player's disdain for the music teacher evident in his voice "You're friends with Josie. Maybe you could convince her to let him sit on one of their rehearsals?" he suggested. And without another word, Mickey slung his bag over his shoulder and walked off.

* * *

Working at Fred's construction company was tough. That was why Mickey loved it so much. For three days a week, Mickey dug up dirt, laid brick and cracked concrete until every last one of his muscles cried out in pain. No wonder Archie bulked up so much over the summer. But what really made Mickey love construction was that he could blow off steam.

Although he hadn't been to juvie, Mickey was required to go to anger management after his fight with Dilton. And one of the best pieces of advice he ever got was to find a positive outlet for his anger. Baseball was first answer. But now, with construction, he had a whole new way let out his anger, one that would last him long after his high school days.

Plus, there was something honest about it. Working with his hands all day, seeing the products of his labor, wall by wall, building by building. It was as if he was truly leaving his own mark on Riverdale.

As the blue-eyed twin manned a jack hammer on the thick hard dirt, clearing the way for the latest project of Andrews construction, he heard his father's voice.

"Mickey!"

The young baseball player shut off the machine as Fred called him, pulling out his protective ear plugs and looking over his shoulder, his father standing in the doorway of his office.

"You've got a visitor."

Mickey looked toward where his father was pointing and saw none other than Cheryl Blossom standing at the edge of the construction site. Curious, Mickey walked took off his hard hat and goggles and walked over to her. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I need a favor," Cheryl's voice began to trail off as she stared at Mickey's masculine frame.

The young construction worker was dressed in a light wash denim shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms and the top two buttons undone, revealing the white tank top underneath. Along with dark jeans and a pair of dark brown leather work boots, his face and skin glossed in a thin layer of sweat.

Cheryl's eyes lingered at Mickey's chest, the massive chiseled muscles barely contained by his shirt.

Mickey caught her staring and smirked. "My eyes are up here, Cheryl."

The redheaded girl gave him a seductive smile. "I don't see anything wrong with a little harmless looking."

"Uh-huh. So, what's the favor?" Mickey asked.

"I need you to get me into the school after dark," Cheryl requested "You know Veronica's sob story about Chuck Clayton and the Sticky Maple?"

Mickey scowled, the mention of Chuck Clayton making his blood boil. "Yeah?"

"Ethel Muggs says that Chuck and his football buddies kept a book on the girls they humiliated," Cheryl explained "Rumor has it Betty and Veronica plan to look for it tonight."

"And you want to help them find it?" Mickey presumed.

"I want to make sure they don't."

Mickey was confused. "Cheryl, Chuck humiliated Veronica. If there's a chance that we can find proof-,"

"There is no way that book exists!" Cheryl snapped "Jason was co-captain of the football team with Chuck. There is no way my brother would allow something so disgusting to happen on his watch!"

Mickey's face softened as he saw the hurt and worried expression on Cheryl's face. _That's why she's doing this,"_ Mickey thought _She's trying to protect Jason's legacy._ "Okay. I believe you," he told her in a soft voice. "Look, I got about an hour until my shift's over. Let me go home and get changed, and I'll meet you at the school at seven."

* * *

Mickey made his way to the school later that night, dressed in a black Henley shirt, dark jeans and sneakers, where Cheryl was already waiting for him.

The redheaded girl was dressed in a bright red dress along with a black leather wrap and matching thigh-high leather boots.

Mickey's heart raced. The last time he saw Cheryl in those boots, she was wearing a corset.

"Eyes up here, Mickey," Cheryl teased as she spotted him starling at her long, leather-clad legs.

Mickey's face grew hot. "I like the boots."

"I know," Cheryl gave the young construction worker a seductive look. "Last time I wore them, you wouldn't let me take them off."

Mickey smirked. "You don't ever stop, do you Baby Doll?"

The leader of the Rivervixens closed the gap between them, speaking to the blue-eyed twin in a low, husky voice. "I don't let anything stop me from getting what I want."

Mickey's heart raced as she gave him a lustful look, slowly running her hands across his chest. "Yeah. I know," Mickey placed a gentle hand on her waist. "It's one of the things I like about you. I want this too, Baby Doll," he admitted softly "you know what else I want?" Mickey gently placed his finger on Cheryl's temple. "This," the blue-eyed hand than moved his hand over Cheryl's chest, pointing a single finger at her heart. "and this."

Cheryl's face softened. "I don't know if I can give you that."

"I know," Mickey pressed his lips together as he removed his hand from her waist. "That's why I don't mind waiting."

Cheryl gave him a surprised look. "For how long?"

Mickey shrugged. "When you kissed me at Reggie's party, that was something I had spent the past year and a half waiting for," the blue-eyed twin gave her a small smile. "I know you're worth the wait, Cheryl."

Cheryl was stunned. How could the same guy that put Dilton Doiley in the hospital be so sweet?

Not wanting to waste time, Mickey took his key from the Blue & Gold and unlocked the door. "Ladies first."

* * *

"What do we have here?"

Betty, Veronica, Kevin and Ethel Muggs jumped as heard as they heard a voice, turning around to see Cheryl and Mickey standing before them.

"A B&E with B&V," Cheryl quipped "what would your holy rolly mother say if she could see you know, Betty?"

"What are you doing here, Cheryl?" Betty questioned.

"Heard about the plan through the rumor mill," the redheaded girl responded dryly.

"So, you thought you'd show up and derail our investigation?" the blonde-haired girl accused.

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself, Betty."

"Bets," Mickey gave her a look as she and Cheryl shot daggers at each other. "Can we talk?"

Reluctantly, Betty followed her neighbor over to a corner by the lockers, far away from any prying ears. "Why did you bring her?" she demanded in a hushed tone.

"Hey, she brought me," Mickey corrected.

"Chuck is humiliating girls," Betty reminded "do have any idea how many he's hurt this semester alone?"

"No, and if I did, he'd probably be in the hospital by now," Mickey assured her "Listen, I don't doubt for a second that what Veronica, or Ethel or any other girl says about Clayton is true."

"But you don't think there's a book."

"Cheryl doesn't. She says there's no way this happened on Jason's watch," Mickey shrugged "I believe her."

"Because she's Baby Doll?" Betty presumed.

"Because I know how protective he was. Jason knew about knew about me and Cheryl," Mickey revealed "He caught me sneaking out one night while he and Polly were… sneaking in," he informed nervously, trying not to upset Betty "He read me the riot act. Gave me the classic 'don't hurt my sister' speech. After Doiley...he told me never to see her again. That I wasn't good enough for Cheryl." Mickey grimaced as he remembered the despising look on Jason Blossom's face. "The way he said it… it was like, he and Cheryl were orphans or something," he described "Like he was the only one in the world looking out for her. Jason always went out of his way to protect Cheryl," Mickey summed up. "now it's her turn to protect him."

"Guys," the high schoolers quickly turned around as Ethel Muggs spoke up, the holding a large black ledger, opening it up for everyone to see.

Mickey's blood began to boil as he read all the names in that book, his eyes widening as he saw two names side by side: Polly Cooper and Jason Blossom.

Betty looked sick to her stomach. "Oh my God."

"This isn't," Cheryl's starred at the book a state of disbelief "Jason would never-,"

"It's right there, Cheryl," Betty snapped "Your brother hurt my sister."

As the two girls started arguing, Mickey kept his eyes glued to the book, his mind racing as he noticed a series of strange details.

Ethel had claimed only five guys in total created the book, but there were far more than five names in that book. Almost half the football team. But there were only three different forms of handwriting. Jason might've been in the book, but he was only in there one time, next to Polly's name. But what really blew Mickey away was the one name he never expected to see: Reggie Mantle.

* * *

" _Mickey! You got a visitor."_

 _Thirteen-year-old Mickey Andrews sullenly walked down the steps of his home, the young boy dressed in a green hoodie, jeans and sneakers. There, standing with Fred by the door, was Reggie Mantle._

 _The young Asian boy was dressed in a black Nike hoodie, sweatpants and high-top sneakers, his bike parked out on the front lawn, a familiar smile on his face. "Sup, Mickey."_

" _Hey Reggie," Mickey greeted in a downhearted voice._

" _My dad gave me money for the batting cages," Reggie informed "Want to go?"_

 _The blue-eyed twin looked up at his father, who simply nodded and smiled._

 _Mickey shrugged. "Okay."_

 _The two boys grabbed their bats and hopped on their bikes, silently riding to the batting cages uptown._

 _Reggie grinned happily as he knocked a series of line drives down the range, a confident smile on his face as he stepped away from the plate. "I am going to own baseball season. Your turn, Mick."_

 _The blue-eyed twin dragged his bat through the dirt as he stepped up to the plate, slowly hefting it above his head as Reggie activated the pitching machine._

 _SWOOSH!_

 _Mickey swung the bat wildly as the ball came racing through the air, only to miss it completely as is whizzed past him._

 _Irritated, Mickey locked his jaw and dug his heels into the dirt, hefting the bat over his head as he prepared to try again._

 _SWOOSH!_

 _The blue-eyed twin let out a grunt as he swung the bat as hard as he could, the baseball whizzing right past him. Mickey growled. "This is stupid."_

 _Reggie ducked as Mickey lost his temper and threw his bat at the chain-link fence. "Dude, what is your problem?"_

" _My stupid mom is the problem!" Mickey shouted._

 _At that moment Reggie remembered what tomorrow was. Mother's Day._

 _The blue-eyed twin slumped down to the ground, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he sniffed._

" _Screw her."_

 _Mickey sniffed as he looked up from the dirt. "What?"_

" _Screw your mom," Reggie repeated "If she doesn't want to with her kids, that's her problem."_

 _Mickey's hurt expression morphed into an angry scowl. "Yeah. You're right. I don't need her."_

" _That's right. You got plenty of people right here in town who've got your back." Reggie assured him. "Come on, let's try it again."_

 _Dusting the dirt from his hands, Mickey hefted the bat over his shoulder and prepared for the next pitch._

 _CRACK!_

 _The blue-eyed twin hit the ball as it came racing past, sending it back down the field._

 _Mickey grinned. "I did it."_

" _Nice," Reggie encouraged. "My turn." The young Asian-American boy walked up to the plate, sending a blazing line drive down the field with a massive swing. "Ha! Beat that."_

 _The two boys spent the next two hours like that. Hitting ball after ball down the field of the batting cages, lost in a friendly rivalry as they tried to see who could hit the fastest ball and how far. As the sun began, the young athletes made their way to Pop's, stuffing their faces with burgers and milkshakes._

" _Hey," Reggie asked through a mouthful of fries. "Do you want to join my baseball team?"_

 _Mickey's eyes widened. "Really?"_

" _Sure. We could use some more guys. Especially with Dilton Doiley playing for the team on the west side."_

" _Beanpole Doiley?" Mickey scoffed. "How much trouble could he be?"_

" _Don't let his size fool you broskie," Reggie warned "that beanpole can pitch."_

" _Yeah? Well, so can I," Mickey confirmed "Once I get on that field, I'll make Dilton Doiley wish he never met me," he promised with a laugh._

 _And that was the day that Mickey Andrews and Reggie Mantle became best friends._

* * *

Reggie saved Mickey that day. He didn't realize it at first, but he did. Baseball was Mickey's If he hadn't joined Reggie's team, what happened to Dilton could've happened a lot sooner and a lot worse.

After that day, Mickey and Reggie became inseparable. They were more than friends. Reggie was Mickey's second brother. Which is why he couldn't believe what he'd seen in that book

Impossible. That was the only word Mickey could use to describe Reggie's name in that book. Impossible.

Reggie would never be a part something like that. Mickey's best friend might've acted like a player, but that was because there was only one girl that ever meant anything to Reggie Mantle: Josie McCoy.

Ever since he heard her sing in the fifth-grade talent show, Reggie had been head-over-heels for the leader of the Pussycats. Every other girl had just been failed attempt to either move on or make her jealous. Going on no more three dates with the same girl at a time, that was plan suggested to Reggie by his older brother Oliver, the real player of the Mantle family. That the best way to make a girl chase after you was to make them think you didn't care.

Reggie would never do something like this, Mickey knew that. He knew it like he knew his own name. He just had to prove it.

* * *

"Reggie!" Mickey stood on the porch of the Mantle family home, a large 3-story Victorian-style house on the east side on town, the second biggest house in all of Riverdale. The blue-eyed twin kept banging his fist on the door, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Reggie! Bro, open up!"

"Dude," the varsity football player answered the door with an annoyed look, dressed in a pair of black sweats and a tank top, the droplets of water in his dark hair indicating that he had just finished his post-practice shower. "What is your deal?"

"Are your parents home?" Mickey questioned.

"No. They're still at work," Reggie frowned as Mickey barged into the house, a serious and worried look on his face. "What's going on?"

* * *

"Where did you get this?" Reggie stood with Mickey in the living room of the Mantle house, a large and elegant room with expensive leather furniture and a massive flatscreen TV over the fire place. The varsity football player held Mickey's phone in his hand, a confused and shocked look on his face as he examined the photos of Chuck's scorebook.

Mickey stood in front of the couch with his arms folded, carefully reading his best friend's reaction. "Found it at school with Betty and Veronica. Chuck's been hiding it in the locker room," the blue-eyed twin paused nervously before asking "tell me you didn't know about it."

Reggie gave him a questioning glare. "Do you honestly think I could be a part of something like this?"

Mickey let out a small sigh of relief. "No," he replied honestly, taking back his phone "I just needed hear you say it. We need figure out how you got in this book." He stated, "you and all these other guys."

"Yeah, no kidding," Reggie began pacing around the room as he ran a hand through his damp dark hair, letting a low growl as he declared "I am going to kill Chuck."

"Reggie think," Mickey insisted "how did Chuck know about you and these girls?"

"I don't know."

"Bro, think," Mickey repeated "Reggie, half the football team is in this book. Moose and Jason are in this book."

"Look, I already told you, I don't-," Reggie's voice trailed off as he stopped dead in his tracks, a look of realization spreading across his face. "Wait. You said you found that in the locker room?" Mickey nodded, earning an absolutely mortified look from Reggie. "I talked about those girls to the Bulldogs in the locker room."

Mickey blinked slowly as realized the obvious. What guy hadn't said something stupid about a girl in there? It was like the ultimate man cave. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing. I mean, I never gave any specifics or anything," Reggie assured him quickly "I just, you know, implied some stuff."

"Well you must've implied a lot," Mickey stated, "because you're in the top five."

"Wait, really?" Reggie shook his head as he got back on topic. "The point is, whatever I said in there, I never meant to hurt anybody. And I definitely didn't want it written down in some pervert scorebook."

Mickey looked at his best friend for a moment, his dark brown orbs full off honesty and panic at the thought of being associated with Chuck Clayton's shameful ledger. "I believe you," Mickey told him. "There's just one problem," he warned. "Betty wants to put Chuck and his book on the front page of the Blue & Gold."

Reggie paled. "When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Reggie looked sick to his stomach. "Bro, you've got stop her."

"Stop her?" Mickey looked like he'd just been asked to jump to the moon "Reggie, Betty is on the war path. She and Veronica are going to burn Chuck and everyone who helped write this book."

"Only I'm not a part of it!" Reggie reminded " and neither are half the guys in that thing. If that book gets put in the school paper, we're going to be screwed."

"Reggie, I am telling you, there is no way Betty is going to drop this story," Mickey assured him "but I might be able to buy some time."

* * *

"Betty! Betty!" After talking to Reggie, Mickey rushed over to the Cooper house, making his way up to Betty's room as soon as Alice let him through the door. "Bets, we got to talk. It's about-whoa," Mickey's voice trailed off as he barged into Betty's room, the blonde-haired girl dressed in a sleeveless blue blouse and a very short skirt. "Are you going out on a date?"

"Actually, I just came back from one," Betty corrected "with Chuck."

Mickey scowled. "I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth."

"It wasn't a real date," she assured him "I was just laying the bait. Soon, the whole world is going to see Chuck Clayton for who is truly is," Betty stated in an uncharacteristically dark voice.

"About that," Mickey shifted his weight nervously as Betty sat in front of her vanity and began removing her makeup "I need you to hold off on publishing the Chuck Clayton story."

Betty whipped her head around and glared at him. "What?"

"We got double check the facts, Bets," Mickey implored her "there is just no way that many guys would be apart of Chuck's book."

"And why is that?" Betty questioned "Because Reggie told you so?"

Mickey frowned at the accusatory tone in Betty's voice, a protective fire gleaming in the young baseball player's eye. "Reggie might be a bit of a player sometimes, but there is no way he helped write that book." Mickey sighed as turned away from her dismissively "If you found Archie's name in that book, would you believe he was a part of it?"

"No," Betty replied almost instantly "of course not."

"Because you know him. You trust him. Well, I know and trust Reggie," Mickey defended "and there is no way he would ever do something like this. Look, I get it. You and Veronica are mad, and you have every right to be," Mickey went on "What Chuck is doing is… disgusting and wrong and just the thought of it makes me want to crack his head open like an egg. And if you and New York want to go all scorched Earth on Clayton, I won't stop you," Mickey assured her "I just want to make sure no one gets caught in the backdraft. Betty," Mickey ran over and bent down in front of the blonde-haired girl, forcing her to look in the eye as he implored her to listen "please. If you print this story without double checking all the facts, you'll be making Chuck Clayton out to be the majority, not the exception."

Betty stayed silent for a moment, her bright green eyes softening as she saw the pleading look on Mickey's face and sighed. "Chuck's meeting me tomorrow at Ethel's. When Veronica and I are done, you can talk to him."

* * *

After talking to Betty and Reggie, Mickey decided to head home. It had been a long day and he was tired. As the blue-eyed twin walked in through the back door, he spotted his father and brother arguing in the kitchen. Fred must've caught Archie after one of his sessions with the Pussycats.

"If I had a football game, would you let me go?" Archie challenged.

Fred stayed silent, the uncertain look on his face giving Archie all the answers he needed.

"That's because you get it. You respect it. But you have never respected my music," Archie stated strongly "or supported it."

"This isn't about my behavior, Archie. This is about your behavior."

Realizing that this was going nowhere, Archie clenched his jaw and marched up to his room.

"He's got a point you know," Fred jumped as Mickey spoke up. "Dad, when Archie and I told you we wanted to go out for sports, you went and played catch with us every night after work."

"There's a big difference between playing sports and playing music," Fred countered "Even if you boys don't go pro, your athletics can help you get into college, where you can study whatever you want."

"What Archie wants is to study music," Mickey reminded "I've heard him sing, Dad. He has talent. And something else too: Passion. Archie may not be the best singer in the world, he might not even be the best in Riverdale. But he's going to keep working at it to be the best he can be. And whether he's selling out stadiums in LA, playing jazz clubs in New York or just making YouTube covers here in Riverdale, no matter where music takes him," Mickey emphasized "Archie's going to need you in his corner."

* * *

"It's going down tonight." Mickey stood with Reggie by the lockers the next day at school, the two young athletes talking in hushed tones between classes. "When Bets and New York give us the word, we head over and get Chuck to tell us who really helped him write that book."

"And then I bounce his head off the wall," Reggie's angry demeanor slowly gave away to reveal a vulnerable expression. "Thanks, Mickey. For believing me. I know I'm not the easiest sell in all this."

"Reg, you're my bro," Mickey reminded "You know I got your back. And you've got nothing to sorry for. You didn't put those girls in that book."

"Maybe not, but they wouldn't be there in the first place if it weren't for my big mouth," Reggie reprimanded "Let me tell you, I am definitely going to watch what I say about the ladies from now on."

"Maybe this whole mess will be a good," Mickey's voice trailed off as he spotted a familiar classmate walking down the halls: Cheryl Blossom, dressed in her cheerleading uniform, surrounded by her fellow Rivervixens as they prepared to head off to a cheer competition out of town.

Reggie spotted his best friend staring and laughed. "You are so whipped."

"What?"

"Dude, everytime you see Cheryl, you get this dopey look on your face," Reggie stated, "Ask her out or move on."

Mickey rolled his eyes. "I'll be right back." The blue-eyed twin walked across the hall and made his way to the red-headed cheerleader and her fellow Rivervixens. "Cheryl."

The Queen Bee of Riverdale looked away from her friends and locked eyes with the young baseball player, her dark brown orbs shining with a familiar gleam of lust. "Mickey Andrews," she greeted in a flirty tone, causing Mickey's heart to skip a beat. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Can we talk?"

The leader of the Rivervixens passively dismissed the surrounding cheerleaders, leaving her and Mickey alone by the lockers.

"it's about last night," he whispered.

Cheryl's seductive expression faded away to reveal a hurt and heartbroken look. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Cheryl," Mickey quickly followed after her as she attempted walk off. "You don't understand."

"I do understand," Cheryl disputed "my brother wasn't who he thought he was."

"I've been looking into some of the guys in that book," Mickey revealed "I don't think Jason knew about this. Someone else put him in that book."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Mickey," Cheryl told him "but you don't have to lie to me."

Mickey quickly grabbed Cheryl's hand, forcing her to turn around and look him the eye, his piercing blue orbs pleading with her to hear him. "I would never lie to you," Mickey promised. "Especially not about your brother. Jason did not put Polly in that book," he insisted "I can't prove it yet, but I will."

Cheryl stared at Mickey for a moment, the sincerity and conviction in his words leaving her stunned. "Why are you doing this?"

Mickey gave her a confused look, surprised that she couldn't see the obvious answer to her question. You're not the only one in this town with a twin, remember?" To have a twin, a sibling who had been there since birth, a lifelong friend from before life even began...it was a bond that few could ever understand. Mickey knew how much Jason meant to Cheryl. Because Archie meant just as much to him. "I know how important your brother is to you. And you're important to me."

* * *

"He did what!?" Mickey stood with Betty and Jughead in the Blue & Gold office, his pale blue eyes blazing with fury.

"Dilton fired the gun on July 4th," Jughead repeated, causing the rage in Mickey's eyes to flare up "Apparently troop master Doiley's a hard-core survivalist who wanted to make sure his scouts could defend themselves."

"So, he teaches a bunch of kids to play with guns?" Betty questioned "that's crazy."

"That does it."

Jughead quickly stepped in front of Mickey as he marched towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Doiley and drag him into the sheriff's office," Mickey snarled "kicking and screaming if I have to."

"Bad idea."

"That little psycho does not get away with this," Mickey snapped "If somebody doesn't stop Doiley, he's going to get someone killed. He could've shot my brother, Jughead!"

"Mickey, calm down," Betty implored him.

"I can't calm down!" the blue-eyed twin whipped his arm around and slammed his fist into wall, causing Betty and Jughead to jump. Mickey gave his friends an apologetic look as he saw their frightened faces. "Sorry. It's been a crazy week."

Jughead frowned as he watched Mickey pull out a small foam baseball from his backpack and started squeezing it rapidly. "What is that?"

"It's a stress ball," Mickey informed as he started pacing around the room "I got it in anger management."

"When did you go to anger management?" Betty asked.

"Back in Chicago," Mickey informed "It was the only way to keep the Doileys from pressing charges."

"So, there was a deal," Jughead commented.

"Of course, there was a deal!" Mickey cut himself off as he started to shout "Cleansing breaths, Mickey," he recited "cleansing breaths."

Jughead watched his old friend as he paced back and forth across the room, his body rigid and his face slightly red. "Betty, can you give us a minute?" as the blonde-haired girl stepped outside of the office, Jughead began to shuffle his feet, giving Mickey a nervous look. "Maybe the Blue & Gold isn't the best fit for you."

Mickey stopped dead in his tracks and gave Jughead a look. "Are you firing me?"

"It's great that you want to help Cheryl," Jughead complimented "but Betty and I are trying to do real work here and-,"

"Stop. I did not join the paper just for Cheryl," Mickey disputed "Yes, she's important to me, and yes, I want help get closure about Jason. But I also did it to find out what happened to my home," he stated "Before I went to Chicago, the worst thing that ever happened here was me. I had a bad day, I got drunk, and I beat up Doiley," he recapped "and after one summer away, Jason Blossom gets killed. Polly has a mental breakdown. Archie," he went on in an angry whisper "is being brainwashed by Grundy the predator. So, yeah. I'm angry. I'm angry because I haven't talked to Polly since the summer. I'm angry about Cheryl losing Jason. I'm angry about Grundy violating Archie," he ranted "I'm angry because someone broke my town! Now might not be able to do anything about Polly or Archie, but I can do this," Mickey assured strongly "I can help find Jason Blossom's killer. And when I find him-,"

"You'll do what?" Jughead questioned "Mickey this guy has a gun. He murdered Jason," the young novelist reminded "this isn't some drunken brawl like with Dilton."

"You're right. This won't be like with Doiley," Mickey assured him in a dark tone "because when I find this guy, nobody on earth is going to be able to pull me off of him."

* * *

Mickey stood among the crowd at the Taste of Riverdale that night, dressed in brown leather jacket, a green t-shirt, dark jeans and sneakers, patiently waiting for Josie and the Pussycats to perform. He knew Archie had helped them with their set, so Mickey figured he should be here, even if his brother couldn't. He just hoped Betty didn't call before he got a chance to hear the song.

At first, everything was going great. Then the craziest thing happened.

 _CRACK!_

The whole town jumped as Penelope Blossom slapped Alice Cooper clean across the face, the blonde-haired reporter's head whipping back from the blow.

"My son was tortured!" Penelope shouted, eyes swelling with tears "he was shot in the head and dumped in the river," the redheaded woman let out a strangled cry as she began to sob "like a piece of garbage."

As Clifford Blossom and Hal Cooper kept their wives from each other's throats, Josie took this as an opportunity to for her and the Pussycats to start the show.

" _Paintings on her skin,_

 _Colors in her hair._

 _Come around the corner,_

 _Make you stop and stare."_

Mickey was impressed. The song was good. Really good. And Archie helped write it. As his foot started tapping to the beat, Mickey pulled out his phone and called his brother.

" _Hello?"_

"It's me," Mickey informed with a proud smile. "I'm at the Taste of Riverdale. The Pussycats are playing your song," the blue-eyed twin held up his phone towards the stage, allowing his brother to hear the performance. "The crowd's loving it," Mickey told him, bringing the phone back to his ear. "Nice work, superstar."

" _Thanks, Mick."_

The young baseball player frowned as he heard a strange sound in the background of the call. "What's that noise?"

" _Nothing,"_ Archie responded quickly _"It's the TV."_

"Doesn't sound like the TV," Mickey raised his eyebrows as recognized the sound: Josie and the Pussycats "Archie, where are you?"

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me."

Archie and Jughead jumped as Mickey spoke up, the blue-eyed twin standing front of them as they sat hunched down in the rafters.

"Archie, what are you doing here?"

"I helped the Pussycats write that song," Archie reminded "I had to see how it turned out."

"So why didn't you have me Skype you the show?" Mickey suggested. "You do know if Dad catches you, you're as good as dead, right?" Mickey sighed as he saw the desperate look in his brother's eye. Truth be told, Mickey wasn't really surprised. Ever since working with Fred, Mickey had been taking a stab at designing his own buildings in his spare time. If someone was breaking ground on one of his designs, there wasn't a punishment in the world that would keep him from being there.

"I got to go," Jughead informed, spotting a face in the crowd below "I got to go shake down an evil boy scout."

As the young writer walked off, Mickey glanced down at his phone as received a text from Betty.

 _Ethels meet us there_

"I got to jet. Betty needs help with the paper. Hey," Mickey placed a hand on Archie's shoulder and smiled "I'm proud of you, Archie. Make sure you get home before Dad does."

* * *

"Reggie. It's me," Mickey stated in into his phone "It's happening. Meet me in Ethel's in twenty minutes." As the blue-eyed twin quickly marched toward the door, he accidentally bumped into a woman in the crowd. Miss Grundy.

Mickey scowled. His body went rigid. His heart pounded like a jackhammer. His blood began to boil as Miss Grundy reeled back in fear.

"Mickey."

The young baseball player's eyes widened as he saw his father standing next to the music teacher.

Fred smiled. "You made it."

Mickey stayed silent, his hands instinctively balling into fists as he shoved them into his pockets.

"You remember Miss Grundy, right?" Fred introduced casually.

Mickey clenched his jaw, his entire body practically trembling in rage as he forced himself to put on a friendly smile. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Grundy." He wanted to slap her for what she'd done to Archie. To drag her off to Sheriff Keller and make her confess to everything she'd done to his brother. But to do that would meaning exposing Archie to the same kind of shame and humiliation that Veronica was going through now. Only this story would be true. "Sorry, Dad. But I got to go."

"You're not going to stay for the rest of the show?" Fred asked.

"Betty called. She needs help getting the Blue & Gold ready for printing tomorrow." Mickey quickly excused himself and headed for the door, struggling to keep his boiling rage under control when he spotted two more familiar faces: Jughead Jones and Dilton Doiley.

Mickey's eyes went wide. "You!"

The young scout leader jumped back as Mickey charged at him, the blue-eyed twin looking ready to tear him limb from limb as Jughead fought to hold him back.

"You little freak!" Mickey snarled, fighting to get past Jughead "you could've shot my brother, you psycho!"

"Mickey, calm down," Jughead told him.

"Stay away from me, Andrews," Dilton threatened in a quivering voice "I mean it."

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Mickey challenged "Well, go ahead, Rambo! Take your best shot!"

"Mickey, stop," Jughead pleaded.

"You want to know why I got into guns?" Dilton shouted "to protect myself from you!"

At that moment, Mickey saw the terrified look on Dilton's face, a massive pit of guilt swallowing up his stomach. And without another word, Mickey backed away from Jughead and Dilton and walked off.

* * *

Reggie stood on in front of Ethel Mugg's later that night, dressed in a black leather jacket, a dark blue t-shirt, jeans and high-top sneakers, when Mickey Andrews walked up, a guilt-ridden look on his face. "You okay, bro?"

"Fine," Mickey lied, struggling to shake off his confrontation with Dilton "Let's just get this over with." The two athletes walked side-by-side into the pool house, where they saw a sight they could not believe.

Veronica stood at the edge of the pool, dressed form-fitting black one-piece swimsuit, a string of pearls and black heels. But it was Betty that left the boys speechless.

The blonde-haired girl stood over the bubbling hot tub, dressed in a set of lacy black lingerie, a jet black wig on her head and matching high heels on her feet. The young reporter stood with her foot on Chuck Clayton's head, forcing the football captain's head under water as she poured a bottle of maple syrup over his face, demanding at the top of her lungs. "Apologize for what you did to Polly, Jason! Apologize for destroying me!"

"Betty, stop!" Mickey bolted over to the hot tub and pulled her off Chuck, while Reggie undid the cuffs on Chuck's wrists and pulled him out of the hot tub.

Mickey jabbed a finger at Betty and Veronica he stood between them and Chuck, the blonde-haired girl's eyes locked in a shocked expression as the wig fell from her head. "Go home," he ordered "Now."

"B," Veronica place a gentle hand on her friend's arm "let's go."

The two girls quickly hurried out of the pool house, while Mickey and Reggie stood over Chuck, the football captain silently drying himself off. "Clayton," Mickey's face morphed into a deep scowl as he struggled to keep calm "We need to talk."

"Yeah we do," Chuck groaned as he wiped the maple syrup from his face "That girl is crazy."

"You had that coming," Mickey stated in a dark voice "We found your scorebook."

After a moment of silent surprise, Chuck let out a dark chuckle. "What's the matter, Mickey? Sorry you didn't make the cut?"

Mickey's hands balled into tight fists.

"Normally, the Book of Conquest is reserved for the football team," Chuck went on "But since you've been keeping Cheryl on her knees, I might be willing to make an exception."

At that moment, Mickey snapped. His heart nearly leapt out of chest. His blood soared to the temperature of burning lava. His eyes saw nothing but red.

 _BAM!_

Before anyone could react, Mickey wound up his fist and slammed it into Chuck's stomach, causing the football captain to keel over in pain.

"Who's on their knees now, huh?" Mickey snarled in a murderous tone "Who's on their knees now?"

Chuck groaned in pain as Mickey gave him another hook to the gut, causing him to fall to his hands and knees in agony as he gasped for breath. "You're crazy."

"Yeah, maybe I am crazy," Mickey admitted "but at least I'm not a slimy, disgusting, worthless piece of trash like you!" Enraged, the blue-eyed twin locked his arm around Chuck's neck and dragged him over to the hot tub, turning the heat as high as it could go and thrusting Chuck towards the water head first.

"No!" Chuck threw both hands out in front of him, catching himself less than inch away from the boiling water, his arms trembling as Mickey struggled to force him in "No, please!"

"Don't you ever say her name again!" Mickey shouted "Do you hear me? NEVER!"

"Mickey!" Reggie quickly jumped in as his best friend continued to try and boil Chuck alive, pulling the young baseball player off the varsity football captain and standing between them "Easy, bro. Chuck," the Asian American football player bent down in front of the varsity captain and gave him an easy smile. "I'm sorry about him. You know how he gets. Now, let's talk about that book of yours."

The football coach's son sat on the cold tile floor, gasping for breath as he scowled. "Why would I tell you anything?"

"Why?" Reggie let out a dark chuckle "To keep yourself from being Riverdale's punching bag," he answered obviously "You put a lot of innocent guys in that book, Clayton. Guys like me," he reminded in a less friendly tone "and Moose." The Varsity football captain paled at the mention of the massive lineman. "You put him and Midge in that book, Chuck," Reggie reminded.

Midge was Moose's longtime girlfriend. The two had been on and off at times, but their feelings for each other never wavered. Off the field, Moose was as peaceful as could be. But if some poor fool messed with Midge… he could get even crazier than Mickey. One time at a house party, some basketball player from Greendale got drunk and slapped Midge on the butt. When Moose found out, he tracked the guy down and knocked out three of his teeth.

"Now if my boy here was ready to boil you alive," Reggie reminded "and he's not even in the book. So, what do you think Moose and all the other guys you dragged through the mud are going to do to you once word gets out?"

Chuck took a nervous glance at Mickey as he stayed silent, the baseball player's eyes blazing with fury as a lock of hair fell out of place, casting a dark shadow over his face, making the blue-eyed twin appear less like a young man and more like a wild animal, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Chuck attempted to swallow as a growing lump clogged his throat. "What do you want?"

"Same thing that Betty wanted," Mickey stated, "the truth."

* * *

It wasn't five boys that wrote the book, it was three. Chuck told Mickey and Reggie everything. How he and his two closest friends started the book. How they started adding other members of the football behind their backs to give themselves more of a challenge.

The next day at school, everybody knew about Chuck and his book. Those that knowingly put their names and scores in the book were kicked off the football team and suspended. As for the others, the innocent ones like Moose and Reggie who simply said too much in the wrong company, they were spared. Mickey made sure none of them were even in Betty's story. But he did print a publish a statement from the rest of the Bulldogs, formally apologizing for the disrespectful actions of their disgraced few, reassuring the town that there were still good-hearted guys in Riverdale.

There was just one last thing Mickey had to do.

* * *

Cheryl stood outside the school with Betty later the next day, the two young women watching Chuck's scorebook burn in the trash.

Cheryl was the first to speak. "Whoever killed Jason hurt him. Maybe he hurt people too," she admitted reluctantly "if he hurt Polly… I'm sorry."

"He didn't."

The two girls looked over their shoulders as Mickey walked into view, the blue-eyed twin dressed in a green bomber jacket, a grey t-shirt, dark jeans and Adidas sneakers.

The JV pitcher stood next to Cheryl as they watched the book burn, taking in small sense of satisfaction in knowing that it wouldn't hurt anyone again. "Over the summer, Reggie invited some guys from the football team to go the movies. Jason didn't show because he had a date with Polly. The next day at summer practice, he came into the locker room with a massive grin on his face. Jason never said what happened," Mickey assured her "but a lot of guys started joking that he'd slept with Polly. That was all Chuck needed to hear to put him in the book."

Cheryl glanced at Betty, who nodded silently, confirming what Mickey sad was true. The redheaded girl gave him an appreciative look, her eyes drifting down to the faint bruising on his knuckles. "What happened to your hand?"

Mickey said nothing, quickly shoving both hands in the pockets of his jacket as a wave of fear and guilt washed over him. What he did to Chuck… there was no telling how far he would've gone if Reggie hadn't been there. He didn't want to be that person anymore. He wanted the Mad Dog gone. Dead and buried. But ever since learning about Jason, it was like all his progress he made over the summer was being stripped away.

"I have to get to the Blue & Gold," Betty announced and without another word, the blonde-haired girl walked off, leaving the two redheads alone.

"Thank you," Cheryl said softly "for finding out the truth."

"I made you a promise."

"Jason would appreciate it."

"I didn't do if for Jason."

Cheryl felt her face grow warm and it wasn't because of the fire. "Valentine's dance."

Mickey frowned. "What?"

"You had a crush on me back in seventh grade," Cheryl reminded "It started around the Valentine's Day dance, didn't it?"

"Yeah," Mickey blushed as the childhood memories ran raced across his mind. "How'd you know?"

Cheryl paused before admitting "I liked you back that then too."

* * *

"Betts," Mickey caught up with his old friend as he walked into the Blue & Gold, setting his jacket on the back of a chair as he spoke "We need to talk." The blonde-haired girl tilted her head at the concerned tone in his voice. "It's about Chuck."

"Not you too," Betty rolled her eyes. "Look I appreciate you and Veronica worrying about me, but I'm fine."

"You weren't fine last night. Betty," Mickey quickly grabbed her by the arm and kept her from walking off "What were you planning on doing to Chuck?" he questioned "What were you even thinking?"

"That I'm tired of guys like Chuck and Jason destroying girls!" Betty shouted causing Mickey to jump back. "Whatever Jason did, it broke Polly. It devastated my sister," she reminded, her soft green orbs filling with tears "and now I can't even see her."

Mickey's face softened as he saw the hurt and fearful expression in Betty's eyes. "I know you're worried about Polly. I am too. But you can't let that anger control you," he insisted "I know. I've been there. And now half the town think's I'm a psycho," Mickey placed both hands on Betty's shoulders as he spoke to her in a brotherly tone. "I don't want to see that happen to you. So, no more… Dark Betty. Okay?"

Betty let out a soft breath as she saw the deeply worried look on Mickey's face. "Okay."

"Guys."

Mickey and Betty turned around as Jughead spoke up, standing in the doorway to the Blu & Gold with Dilton Doiley.

Mickey scowled as he gazed at the young scout leader, walking up to without making a sound.

Dilton backed away as the starting JV pitcher approached him, a nervous and panicked expression on his face as Mickey finally spoke.

"I'm sorry." All eyes went wide in shock as Mickey kept talking. "What I did to you, it was wrong. I shouldn't have attacked you like that and I have regretted ever since," he admitted honestly. Mickey pressed his lips together as he offered his hand "I know I can't undo what I did, but I hope you can forgive me."

Dilton stared at him skeptically and scoffed. "And then what? You and I become best friends or something? Like some stupid after-school special?"

"I get it, Doliey. You don't like me" Mickey shrugged shamelessly as he stated "I don't like you either. But if we keep at each other's throat, it's only going to get worse," he stated certainly. "For both of us."

Dilton stayed silent for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth as he weighed his options. "If you print that I fired the gun, I'll lose the scouts and be charged with a misdemeanor. What if I give you something better?" he suggested. "Something no one else knows about?"

Mickey looked back at Betty and Jughead, the three childhood friends locked in a silent conversation. Dilton may have fired the gun on July 4th, but he was a dead lead on who killed on Jason Blossom. If he could give them something new to go on… "What do want?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone about the gunshot," Dilton stipulated.

"You have our word," Betty assured him "as reporters."

"Miss Grundy was there," Dilton revealed "I saw her car. She was at Sweetwater River on July 4th."

Mickey and Jughead both felt as cold wave of dread wash over them, as single though racing through their minds: Archie.


	4. Chapter 4: The Last Picture Show

Mickey sat with Archie and Fred outside in the Riverdale gardens that afternoon, silently listening to a classical recital, where Miss Grundy was performing.

The music teacher played her cello with an expert combination of passion and precision, her face locked in gaze of serine focus as she gracefully pulled her bow back and forth across the strings.

"She really is something," Fred whispered.

Archie nodded. "She's the best."

As his brother and father sang the music teacher's praises, Mickey stayed silent, the blue-eyed twin's face locked in a deep scowl. Grundy should be rotting in prison not playing Beethoven in the park.

As the recital came to an end, the Andrews men politely applauded the performance, Fred leading his sons over to Miss Grundy as Archie handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"Miss Grundy, that was beautiful," Fred praised "though, I'm partial to classic rock myself."

The music teacher blushed. "Thank you, Mr. Andrews."

"I was hoping that you would be willing to join us for dinner," he offered.

Miss Grundy paled. "Oh, I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's the least we can do," Fred insisted gently "after all you've done for Archie."

As the music teacher reluctantly agreed, Mickey got the feeling that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

Mickey walked into Pop's later that night, dressed in a light wash denim shirt, dark wash jeans, a brown leather jacket and matching work boots, with Archie Fred and Miss Grundy walking beside him. The young construction worker kept his eyes locked on the music teacher, his face set in a deep scowl. If she even tried to put her hands on Archie, Mickey would go full Mad Dog and rip her head off.

As the four of them sat down to eat, the Andrews family heard a familiar voice.

"Archie."

Betty stood in front of the cozy booth, a nervous tone in her tone in her voice as she spoke the brown-eyed twin. "Can I talk to you for a second? Outside?"

Desperate for an escape for an inevitable awkward meal, Archie got up from his seat and followed the blonde-haired girl into the parking lot.

Mickey turned stark white. He knew what Betty wanted to talk about. He and Jughead had been dodging it for weeks. As the blue-eyed twin's heart began to race, he spotted Veronica Lodge sitting in a booth with Kevin and Jughead, the New York native getting up from her seat and making her way outside.

* * *

"Archie," Betty spoke to the brown-eyed twin a nervous voice, an uneasy feeling filling her stomach as she asked. "Are you and Miss Grundy see other? Romantically?"

Archie paled as he struggled to answer, his heart going a million miles of hour.

"Oh my God."

The two childhood friends jumped as Veronica walked over, a shocked and intrigued look in her dark brown orbs. "Are you and your music teacher having an affair?"

Archie wanted to jump into a ten-foot hole. This truly could not get any worse. He was wrong.

"Please don't try to romanticize this, New York," Mickey pleaded as he walked over.

Archie wanted to curl up into a ball and hide.

Veronica shrugged. "I'm just saying, it doesn't sound all that bad to me."

"It sounds like jailtime to me," Betty stated worriedly "Illegal."

"Betty, don't got there," Archie implored her.

"We're already there!"

"Archie's not going to jail," Mickey assured them "Grundy is. I just spent the past three months with my lawyer mom," he reminded "and in every case like this, the minor never goes to jail. At worst, he'll just be in therapy for a few months. That witch is the one who's going to be rotting in a prison cell."

"Don't call her that!" Archie snapped.

"What else should I call her?" Mickey questioned. "A pervert? A psycho? A predator?"

"Ronnie," the brown-eyed twin gave the New York native a desperate look. "a little help here?"

"I mean," Veronica paused before admitted "technically, Betty and Mickey are right."

"Thank you, Veronica," Mickey told her.

"But ethically, what exactly is Miss Grundy to you?" she asked. "Your girlfriend? Your booty tutor?"

"I don't know what to call her," Archie answered.

"I do," Mickey scoffed. "sick and twisted."

"Stop it, Mick." Archie snapped.

"You lied to Sheriff Keller," Betty reminded "to everyone. And for what? To protect _her?"_

"She believed in me when nobody else did," Archie justified, earning a hurt look from the blonde-haired girl.

Veronica sighed. "Okay. We get it."

"I don't," Mickey snapped. "Archie, the reason Grundy was the only one there for you is because you cut everyone else off all summer."

"Betty," the brown-eyed twin kept his eyes locked on the blonde-haired girl "say something. Please."

Betty stayed silent, her mind racing as she tried to process what she'd just learned. Was that the real Archie didn't want to be with her? Because he thought she was childish? That she wasn't mature enough?

"Screw this." Mickey stated, "I'm telling Dad."

"No!" Archie gave his brother a panicked look as he grabbed his arm, stopping him from making his way back into the diner. "You can't."

Mickey whipped his arm out of his brother's grasp, shoving Archie back as his eyes blazed with anger. "You gonna try and stop me?"

"That's enough!" Veronica insisted.

"Guys, stop!" Betty pleaded.

The two girls stood in between Mickey and Archie as they fought, the redheaded brothers glaring at each other as they balled their hands into tight fists.

Mickey jabbed a finger at his brother's face. "You need to wake up," he insisted intensely "before she gets you into real trouble." The blue-eyed twin backed away from his brother, grinding his teeth as turned around and marched off into the night.

At that moment, Alice Cooper drove to the diner in her car, a judgmental glare in her eye as she spotted her daughter with the New York native and the brown-eyed twin. "Get in the car, Betty." She ordered "Now."

The blonde-haired girl stayed silent as she did what she was told, looking back at Archie as they drove off.

Archie had seen that look on her face before: At the Back-to-School Formal. When he broke Betty's heart.

"Oh Archiekins," Veronica sighed as she saw the pain in his deep brown orbs. "You're in it deep this time."

* * *

After that fiasco with Archie and the girls at Pop's, Mickey needed to hit something. Which is why he called Reggie and went straight to the batting cages.

The Asian-American athlete leaned against the chain-link fence, dressed in a black Nike sweatshirt, dark jeans, and white Nike high-top sneakers, a baseball bat resting on his shoulder as he waited for Mickey to finish his turn behind the plate. "So, let me get this straight: Archie's been hooking up with a senior?" Reggie chuckled. "You Andrews boys sure stepped up your game."

"Don't try to sugarcoat it, Reg." Mickey grunted as he got another hit, sending a baseball soaring down the field. The blue-eyed twin now wore a white tank top with his jeans and boots, his shirt and jacket resting on a bench next to Reggie.

The young baseball player took in a deep breath as he hefted his bat over his head for the next pitch, his forehead beading with sweat. "Archie never should've been with her in the first place."

Reggie frowned as he heard the spiteful tone in his best friend's voice. "Is she really that bad?"

"You have no idea," Mickey let out a sharp breath as fired off another line drive hit, continuing to talk in between swings. "She's twisted. Manipulative. She's got Archie cutting off everyone who actually cares about him and just the thought of it… makes me want to tear her head off!"

 _CRACK!_

Reggie ducked as his best friend unleashed a majors-worthy hit, snapping his bat in two and sending a large chunk of wood flying at the chain-link fence. "You seriously need to invest in metal bats."

"Reggie," Mickey gasped for breath as he sat down on the bench, giving his best friend a desperate look. "What do I do?"

"Clearly, your brother's got a bad case of booty-blindness."

"What?"

"Booty-blindness," Reggie repeated. "It's when your brain stops working after you meet a hot girl," he explained, "Think about it. You've had hots for Cheryl since your hormones came out of deep freeze. So, she booty-blinded you last spring turned you into a boy toy."

He had a point. Mickey couldn't think of a time where he wasn't interested in Cheryl. And when things heated up last spring, he was just happy that she was still interested in him after all the fights he got into. "So, what are you saying?" Mickey asked, "that I have to get Archie to Chicago, so he can get his head back on straight?"

"Distance works. But the most effective weapon the WTF bomb," Reggie stated, stepping up to the plate and getting into his stance. "You got to get some dirt on her," he elaborated, quickly shooting off a line drive hit. "something so bad, so crazy, that the next time Archie sees this chick, he will run for the hills."

Mickey stared at his best friend in disbelief. "Reggie, you're a genius."

"Yeah, bro. I know."

* * *

After talking to Reggie, Mickey went straight to Cooper house, urgently looking for the girl next door.

"Betty!" the blue-eyed twin quickly made his way into the blonde-haired girl's room, dressed in his leather jacket and a half open denim shirt.

The blonde-haired girl jumped as Mickey barged into his room, sitting up on her bed with a laptop in front of her, the blue-eyed twin giving her a desperate look.

"I need your help." the young baseball player quickly shut the door behind him and spoke in a low intense tone "I want to investigate Miss Grundy."

Betty gave her friend a surprised look. "Mickey."

"Just hear me out, okay? I know my brother cares about her," he acknowledged.

"Mickey," Betty repeated.

"But I also know how incredibly dangerous it is for him be with her," he reminded "Betty, she is a high school teacher preying on teenage boys. Who knows how many-,"

"Mickey!" Betty snapped, causing the blue-eyed twin to jump. "If you would stop talking for a minute and listen," she reprimanded "you'd know I've already started investigating her."

Mickey's face grew into a massive smile. "Bets, you are amazing. What do you got?"

"Nothing good," Betty's face morphed into a worried expression as her she picked up her computer. "There's not a whole lot about her on the web. All I could find was an email and a couple social media accounts."

Mickey sighed. No way that would scare Archie off.

"But here's the thing. All of her accounts were created a year ago," Betty revealed. "Right before she moved to Riverdale."

Mickey frowned. Grundy may've been a grown woman, but she was still a young one and a millennial. "She's hiding something. We need to find out what. But how?" he thought aloud. Mickey sighed as he started pacing around the bedroom "I mean, it's not like we can just ask her."

"Why not?" Betty's eyes lit up as she got an idea. "That's exactly what we're going to do."

* * *

Archie walked the halls of school with Jughead the next morning, the young writer handing out flyers for the final night of the Twilight Drive-In as his friend questioned him on the previous night. "How hard would it have been to give me a little head's up?" he asked.

Jughead rolled his eyes. "I am by nature a silent observer. Not saying anything to you or Betty was the moral, apathetic choice I could make."

"Jughead," Archie gave his best friend a worried look. "This isn't going to end up in the paper, is it?"

"Dude, seriously?" Jughead gave the brown-eyed twin a surprised look. "Think about what you're asking. If there was even iota of a chance that something would hurt you, Betty wouldn't do it."

"It's not Betty I'm worried about," Archie disputed "Look, I love my brother. But ever since he found out about me and Geraldine, he has treated her like some kind of threat," the young football player gave his best friend a worried look "and you know how Mickey gets when he sees threats."

Jughead grimaced as he saw the worried look on his friend's face, remembering how the two of them fought to keep Mickey Andrews from beating Dilton Doiley half to death, along with Reggie and Moose. "Yeah. I do." *

Mickey sat alone in the Blue & Gold offices during his free period, dressed in a green field jacket over a blue and white flannel shirt, jeans and brown work boots.

He was researching sexual assault cases. He didn't want Grundy stopped. He wanted her arrested. If he could find a way to do that without dragging Archie into the spotlight, all the better.

It made him sick to see how many girls were attacked each year. But he couldn't find much on male victims. Curious and desperate for answers and called the best lawyer he knew.

Mary Andrews answered the phone almost instantly. _"Hello?"_

"Hey, mom. It's me," Mickey greeted "Do you have a minute?"

" _Of course, honey."_ Mary assured him _"How can I help?"_

"Betty and I are doing a PSA piece for the Blue & Gold," Mickey lied "and I've been looking into sexual assault victims. Why I can't I find anything on male victims?"

" _Preconceived notions regarding sexual crimes and gender,"_ Mary explained in a very lawyer-like tone. _"Because so many assault victims are women, most people have a hard time believing anything that doesn't fit the cookie cutter."_

Mickey paled. "So, if a guy says he's the victim of a sex crime, they won't believe it?"

" _Afraid so, not in most cases,"_ Mary confirmed in a heartbroken tone _"But that doesn't mean it can't happen."_

"Yeah," Mickey's voice began to tremble "yeah, you're right."

" _Honey, are your okay?"_ Mary asked in a concerned tone _"You sound upset."_

"I'm fine," he managed "I'm just… a little shook up by all this research I've been doing." Mickey jumped as Betty Cooper walked in, back from her interview with Miss Grundy. "Mom, I'll call you back," he whispered, "I love you." The blue-eyed ran a tired hand over his face as he cleared his throat. "Hey." Mickey frowned as he saw the panicked look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"You would not believe what I just found out." *

* * *

"Cheryl."

The redheaded cheerleader turned around as a familiar voice called her, a flirty smile quickly spreading across his face. "Mickey Andrews. You are looking especially yummy today," she complimented.

"Thanks. You look great too," Mickey told her, trying not to blush "Listen, Betty and I are working on an article for the Blue & Gold. I was hoping I could ask you some questions?"

"But of course. You are the one who cleared my beloved brother of any involvement in Chuck Clayton's shameful scorebook," she reminded. "Although," Cheryl's eyes gleamed with a lustful fire as she placed her hand on Mickey's shoulder, running her fingers down his muscular arm. "I can think of other ways to show my appreciation," she said in a husky voice.

"Uh," Mickey's mind went blank as he struggled to speak, his face turning as red as his hair. "Betty said that Jason was taking private music lessons with Miss Grundy. Is that true?"

Cheryl frowned, a curious and confused look in her eye at the sound of his question. "Yes. He was," the redheaded girl made her way to class as she kept talking, the blue-eyed twin following her down the hall. "Jay-Jay played the piano," she confirmed in a saddened tone "He was a master behind the ivories." Cheryl smiled briefly as the memories ran through her mind. "He used to perform the loveliest concertos during the holidays."

Mickey gave the redheaded girl a sympathetic look as he saw the grieving look on her face. He hated bringing her brother up like this. It felt like he was ripping the stitches out of open wound. "Was Jason always into music?" he asked gently.

"Since he was four. Then one day, he stopped."

"Why?"

Cheryl shrugged as she stopped in front of her locker, putting in her combination and grabbing out a set of books. "He wouldn't say. Just that he and Grundy had a falling out."

"When was this?" Mickey asked.

Cheryl paused as she thought back to when her beloved twin was alive. "Around the start of second semester?" she guessed.

Mickey paled. "When Jason and Polly got together?"

"I guess so," Cheryl frowned as she saw the grim expression on his face. "is that important?"

* * *

Veronica Lodge sat in the office of the Blue & Gold later that afternoon, her mind reeling from the information she'd just learned. "Okay, let me see if I have this straight. You two," the New York native pointed a finger at Mickey Andrews and Betty Cooper. "think that Miss Grundy killed Jason Blossom?"

"It all adds up," Mickey stated. The blue-eyed leaned on the edge of his desk as he spoke, his jacket sitting on the back of a chair and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his forearms as he folded them across his chest, a grim look in his face. "According to Cheryl, Jason had been playing piano for years. Then after one semester with Grundy" he emphasized "he quits. Right around the time he and Polly got together. We know that Jason was running from something," Mickey reminded "maybe he was running from Grundy. Maybe Jason left her for Polly," he theorized "maybe Grundy mad a move on him and it scared Jason off."

"And Archie fits into this how?"

"Do you have any idea how many people thought us and the Blossoms were related as kids?" Mickey asked. "There are only three teenage redheads in town now that Jason's gone. Grundy's got a type."

"And you based this on what?" Veronica asked, "her affair with Archie?"

Mickey scowled as he heard the lighthearted tone in her voice, his blood slowly starting to boil. "This isn't a joke, Veronica. What Grundy is doing to my brother is sick and twisted and it needs to stop."

"I'm just saying," she replied with a shrug "It doesn't seem all that bad to me.

Mickey scoffed. "You wouldn't say that if it was girl," he murmured.

The New York native gave the blue-eyed twin a surprised and challenging look. "What did you say?"

"I said that if it was teenage girl sleeping with a teacher, you would be ready to full scorched Earth like with Chuck," Mickey accused "instead of making excuses."

"Oh my God."

Mickey and Veronica turned their eyes towards Betty as she spoke, the blonde-haired girl huddled over a computer with a shocked and frightened expression on her face.

The New York native and the blue-eyed twin stopped shooting daggers at each other as they walked over to Betty, their eyes widening as they saw the article on the computer screen. "Okay I now I am officially worried," Veronica announced.

* * *

Archie sat with Mickey, Betty and Veronica at Pop's after school, a concerned and confused look on her face.

"Miss Grundy showed up in Riverdale a year ago," Betty began "out of thin air. There is no record of her anywhere before that," she emphasized "Her Facebook, her LinkedIn account, they were all created a year ago."

"She's a ghost, Archie," Mickey stated in a firm but gentle voice.

"The only Geraldine Grundy we could find was a woman who died seven years ago," Betty revealed, pulling out an obituary article and pointing to the photo of an elderly woman in a polka dot dress.

Archie stayed silent for a moment as he glanced at the article, a shocked and confused expression on his face. "Where did you get this?"

"The dark web. The deep internet," Veronica responded in an exaggerated mysterious voice "JK. It's all online. Simple Google."

"And did you all decide to cyber-stalk Miss Grundy before or after you interviewed her for a fake article?" Archie questioned.

Betty looked away from she heard the judgmental tone in the brown-eyed twin's voice, a wave of guilt slowly washing over her.

"That was my idea," Mickey lied, earning a grateful look from Betty. He was going to kill Jughead.

"Guys, I'm not in any danger," Archie assured them.

"You don't know that/Yes you are," Betty and Mickey said together.

"I'm with her," Archie reminded "I know what we have. What we mean to each other."

Betty paused, an uneasy feeling fluttering in her stomach. "She taught Jason Blossom," she revealed "Did you know that?"

Archie shrugged. "She's taught a lot of people."

"Not for private lessons," Mickey disputed.

"Betty," the brown-eyed twin gave her a desperate look "let this go."

"Archie-,"

"If you're my friend," he stipulated sharply "you'll let this go."

Betty's mouth hung open as she stared at him, hurt by the thought that Archie would question how much he meant to her. "Okay. I'll stop digging."

* * *

"Archie."

The brown-eyed twin clenched his jaw as Mickey caught up with him in the parking lot.

"What is wrong with you?" Mickey demanded.

"Me?" Archie gave his brother an angry glare. "You're the one treating Geraldine like a criminal."

"Somebody's got to protect you from that witch."

"Stop it, Mickey," Archie snapped "Stop calling her that. Like it or not, I care about her."

"You don't know anything about her!" Mickey shot back "And now she's got you so messed up in the head, you can't even see what's right in front of you. Betty's had your back since day one," he reminded "Veronica hasn't taken her eyes off you since she got here. You could have either one of those girls at the drop of a hat," he insisted "But you're too busy doing anything you can to keep Grundy happy just so she can keep stringing you along!"

"Don't take it out on me just because Cheryl screwed you over!" Archie snapped.

Mickey gave his brother a look of disbelief, his painful accusation shaking him to the core.

"Now I am telling you for the last time," he warned. "Stay away from Geraldine."

* * *

Betty and Veronica watched from their booth as the Andrews brothers argued intensely in the parking lot, the brown-eyed twin saying something that left his brother's head spinning.

As Archie marched down the block, Mickey's shoulders heaved up and down as he stayed where he was, whipping around and swinging his fist through the empty air.

"What do you think that's about?" Veronica asked.

"Nothing good," Betty responded dreadfully.

The two girls quickly buried their heads in their menus as the Mickey made his way back into the diner, his eyes blazing with fury as he stood in front of their booth. "He won't listen," Mickey huffed as he ran a hand over his face. "We need more."

"More what?" Veronica questioned.

"Evidence. Proof," Mickey clarified "Anything that proves Grundy's dirty."

"Didn't Archiekins just ask us to but out?" the raven haired-girl reminded.

Mickey slammed his fist on the table. "I am not going to let Grundy get away with this. That little witch is abusing and brainwashing my brother and I'm going to put a stop to it," he vowed. "Now are you two going to help me or not?"

Veronica stayed silent for a moment, the boiling rage in Mickey's unsettling her more and more by the second.

Betty didn't hesitate. "We're with you, Mickey. One hundred percent."

* * *

After the talk with Archie at Pop's, Mickey went straight to the library. He wanted to make sure whatever dirt they dug up on Grundy stuck. He buried himself in every sexual crime case he could find, looking for something, anything, that would help him protect Archie.

That night, Mickey started to understand why his mother was so passionate about her legal career. For years, Mary Andrews had been a paralegal for a small clinic in Riverdale. But she always dreamed of going back to school for her degree. She and Fred had gotten married and during their final year at college. And when Mary learned she was pregnant the following summer, she decided to put off law school and be a mother to her children. Until two years ago, when she and Fred separated. Mickey didn't know the whole story as to why his parents had split up, but he had a feeling that had something to do with it.

He couldn't really blame her. Mary was good at her job, and with sexual assault cases happening as often as they did, the world needed as many good-hearted lawyers as it could get.

It made Mickey sick to see how many girls were attacked every year. And the boys… one in every sixteen on college campuses? No wonder Mary spent so many late nights at the office. Shaken up, but still determined, Mickey kept searching through a mountain of legal cases, looking for anything that could be remotely applied to Miss Grundy and Archie. He knew there was a term for what she was doing to his brother. Statutory…. something. If Mickey could figure that out, he'd know what he'd have to find to get a conviction against Miss Grundy. And then, Archie would be safe.

Timing was the most important thing. Most sexual assault victims waited months, sometimes years, before coming forward. By then there was next to no evidence left, so the cases boiled down to he-said-she-said. Assuming they could even get Archie to testify.

After three hours of research and two cans of energy drinks, Mickey finally found what he was looking for.

* * *

Betty and Veronica walked side-by-side in the middle of the night, silently approaching Miss Grundy's car under the cover of darkness.

The New York native's eyes widened in shock and surprise as she watched the girl-next-door begin to pick the lock to the car door. "How do you know how to do this?"

"Me and my dad work on cars together all the time," Betty explained, not looking up from her work "It's a good thing Miss Grundy's car is old." As the lock came undone with a pop, Betty's face broke into a proud grin.

The two girls quickly checked to make coast was clear, jumping into the car and closing the doors behind them.

"Okay, before going any farther in committing a felony, I have to ask," Veronica announced "Does any of this have to do with your feelings for Archie?"

Betty stayed silent for a moment, a look of uncertainty creeping into her soft green eyes. Truth be told, it did hurt to learn that Archie would rather be with Miss Grundy than be with her. But that didn't mean that the music teacher wasn't dangerous. "This has nothing to do with me and Archie," she disputed. "Grundy has Archie under some sort of… sexual spell and we need to get him to listen to reason. Before Mickey does something he can't come back from," she murmured.

Veronica frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm never seen him like this V. Every time he mentions Miss Grundy, he looks like he's about to explode," Betty's voice overflowed with worry and dread "If we don't get him some real evidence on her soon…,"

Veronica's eyes widened. "You think he'll go Mad Dog? On Grundy?"

"I don't know, Veronica. I hope not," Betty answered uncertainly "Bottom line, Mickey and Archie need our help."

"Okay. So, what exactly are we looking for?" the New York native asked.

"Anything that will prove that Miss Grundy isn't as clean as she says," Betty told her. The blonde-haired girl quickly got to work rummaging through the car, her eyes widening as she found a small grey lockbox in the back seat. "Bobby pin," she demanded.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Yes, Miss Giver," she quipped sarcastically.

The blonde-haired girl took the pin and quickly got to work picking the lock, opening the box in a matter of seconds. Betty grinned. "I learned that from the Nancy Drew detective books."

The two girls quickly started looking through the box, where they found a Minnesota ID with Miss Grundy's picture and a different name.

"Jennifer Gibson?" Veronica read aloud "Who is Jennifer Gibson?"

"That's not all there is." Betty's eyes widened in shock and horror as she pulled out another object from the box: a gun. *

* * *

After the library, Mickey went straight home, desperately needing a good night's sleep. As the blue-eyed twin rounded the corner to his home, he spotted Betty and Veronica standing at the edge of his porch. "Please tell me you found something," Mickey begged. After that gruesome research at the library, he needed some good news.

"Oh, we found plenty," Veronica assured him.

"Guys," Betty drew the others attention to a familiar face walking down the street. Archie Andrews.

"Oh God," the brown-eyed twin murmured. "Please tell me you're not still on this crazy witch hunt."

"It's not a witch hunt," Betty disputed "and it's not crazy. We were in Grundy's car-,"

"You what?" Archie's eyes widened as he gave his friends a shocked expression "You broke into her car?"

"Yeah. And thank God we did," Veronica defend shamelessly "we found a gun."

"What?" the Andrews brothers both gave the girls a shocked look.

"And an ID under the name Jennifer Gibson," Betty added "This proves Miss Grundy isn't who she says she is."

"T-then, then who is she?" Archie asked nervously.

"Obviously, some sketch queen named Jennifer Gibson," Veronica commented.

"Archie, what if she had something to do with Jason Blossom's murder?" Betty questioned.

"Archie," Mickey quickly grabbed his brother's shoulder as he looked him in the eye, speaking in a desperate tone "listen to them. Please. You have to stay away from her, okay? She's dangerous."

"No. No, you're wrong," Archie disputed in an uncertain tone "Geraldine, Jennifer, she wouldn't do something like that."

"Wake up, Archie," Veronica insisted. "Everything about her is a bold-faced question mark."

"She taught Jason last year," Mickey reminded "she showed up in town out of nowhere, she took on the name of a dead woman to cover her tracks. And she has a _gun._ "

"You didn't ask her did you, Archie?" Betty asked "About her name? Or why there isn't any record of her anywhere?" Archie silence was all the answer she needed "Why not?"

Archie just stood there for a moment, his face locked in a shocked expression as his warm brown orbs overflowed with worry and confusion. Then, without saying a word, he turned around and went inside.

"Archie," Mickey called as his brother closed the door "Archie!" The blue-eyed twin ran a hand through his hair, his heart beating rapidly.

At that moment, Mickey started to boil. His hands balled into tight fists. His eyes saw nothing but red.

"Mickey?" Betty did not like the look on her fiend's face. "Are you alright?"

Mickey said nothing, his face locked in a murderous expression, as he clenched his jaw and marched into the backyard.

"Looks like the Mad Dog's off his leash," Veronica commented.

The girl next door and the New York native quickly followed the blue-eyed twin as he walked into the garage, where Mickey was grabbed a large tool off the back wall: A four-foot-long, twenty-pound sledgehammer.

Betty paled. "What are you going to do with that?"

Mickey stayed silent, a dark and violent fire in his eyes as he hefted the hammer in his hands and headed towards the door.

"Mickey," Betty placed both hands on his chest as she and Veronica stood between him and the door. "Stop."

"Get out of my way Bets," he demanded in a low, intense voice.

"I know you're upset about Grundy," Veronica acknowledged "But that doesn't give you the right to all… Ginger Thor on her."

"Stay out of this, New York!" Mickey snapped.

"Mickey listen to yourself," Betty pleaded "You're talking about attacking Miss Grundy. A woman half your size."

"Do you have any idea what the law calls an adult sleep with a minor?" Mickey asked. "Rape. Statutory rape. Not a scandal or an affair," he corrected, glaring at Veronica "Grundy is _raping_ my _brother!"_ he shouted. Mickey's eyes swelled with tears the words escaped his lips, his pale blue orbs full of fear and heartache. "My brother. Who always looks for the best in people. Who cried every night for two weeks after our Mom left us. He thinks Grundy actually cares about him," he reminded "So, he keeps running back more." Mickey let out a strangled breath as he collapsed into an old chair in the corner, dropping the sledgehammer on the floor. "Like a drug addict who keeps shooting up no matter how sick he gets. Even if we tell people she's done, even if we could get Archie to see it for what it is, no one would believe him" he scoffed "because the whole world thinks that guys are just a bunch of sex-crazed pigs who'll take it any way we can get it." Mickey silently chocked back a sob, wiping the tears from his eyes as he croaked out "I don't want to hurt Grundy, Bets," he told her "I don't. But she is hurting my brother, and I am running out of options. So, tell me," he demanded in a desperate voice "What am I supposed to do?" *

* * *

Mickey sat in Fred's office early the next morning, his piercing blue eyes surrounded by dark circles from a sleepless night. Every time he closed his eyes, he was afraid that Archie might sneak out again. To see Grundy. Add to that all the sex crime cases still rattling around in his head, and sleep wasn't even an option last night. The young construction worker was dressed in a blue and green flannel shirt, along with a grey t-shirt, dark jeans and brown work boots, silently sipping on a large cup of coffee, while Jughead tried to negotiate with Fred.

For the past week, the young novelist had been fighting to save the Twilight Drive-In, his job and home away from home. "Mayor McCoy said that you two have the contract to tear down the Drive-In?" he asked.

Fred sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "We did. Look, I'm sorry Jug. I know how much you love the Twilight," he acknowledged "So do I."

"Same," Mickey added. He remembered all the weekends he'd spent there with his friends over the years: Archie, Polly, Reggie, Jughead, Betty. He even had hopes of taking Cheryl on the date there some day.

"Guys, just give one week," Jughead pleaded "to track down whoever bought the land and convince them not to tear down a palace of cinema."

"You're joking, right?" As much as Mickey hated to say goodbye to the Drive-In, he couldn't wait to get started on this project. When news of the contract got out, he practically had to bend over backwards to get his father to try and get the job. Now that they had it, nothing short of a natural disaster would keep Mickey from risking this job.

"This is a big contract for us, Jug," Fred reminded "and our guys. Whatever the build once the Drive-In's gone could mean a lot more jobs for the town."

Jughead scoffed. "You already put one Jones out of work. And now you're going to do it again."

Mickey frowned. "Dad, what's he talking about?"

"Over the summer, I caught FP stealing materials from one of our job sites," Fred revealed "So I let him go."

"What?" Mickey shot up from his seat in disbelief, giving Jughead a hurt and angry look. "First your old man stabs us in the back and now you want us to blow one of the biggest jobs we've had in years?"

"Right. Because all the Jones care about is ourselves," Jughead scoffed sarcastically. "I'm out of here."

"Jug," Fred tried to stop him, but before he could even get out of his seat, Jughead marched out of the office and slammed the door behind him.

Mickey blinked slowly, mentally kicking himself for losing his temper. He wasn't that mad at Jughead. He was just tired and stressed about Grundy. After the loss Jason Blossom, the people of Riverdale needed to come together. Not fall apart.

* * *

"An abusive ex?"

Mickey sat with Archie in their room early that afternoon, the brown-eyed twin having just learned the true origin of Miss Grundy.

The young musician nodded. "The Minnesota ID is the only thing she kept from her old life. And the gun's for her protection."

Mickey stayed silent, crossing his arms with a suspecting look on his face.

Archie frowned. "You don't believe her."

"That woman has done nothing but lie to this entire town since she got here," he reminded "Why should I trust her now?"

"Yeah well, I believe her."

"Of course, you do. Because you're a good guy," Mickey praised "And any halfway decent guy with a conscious would believe a story like that. I would believe it," he stated, "if it came from anyone else but her."

"She's not a monster Mickey," Archie disputed "She's scared and alone and right now, I'm all she's got."

Mickey sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth between their beds. "Let's say you're right," he humored "Let's say Grundy had a husband that like to beat her up. That doesn't make it any safer for you to be with her."

"Mickey, come on-,"

"If her husband was willing to put her in the hospital, what do you think he'll do to you?" Mickey snapped "Do you think a maniac like that is just going to let his wife walk out on him like that? I went to anger management with people like that Archie," he reminded "and they don't always get help. What if this guy followed Grundy here?" he questioned "What if he saw you two together? What if he spotted Jason Blossom, the only other redheaded teenager in town last summer," he reminded "and killed him for sleeping with his wife?" Mickey's eyes overflowed with terror as he asked his brother a final question "What happens when he finds out that he got the wrong guy?"

* * *

Archie walked side-by-side with Betty later that day, sharing what he had learned about Miss Grundy. "That's why she has a gun," he concluded "and why she has a fake ID."

"It still doesn't make what she did to you okay," Betty protested.

"She didn't do anything to me, Betty," Archie disputed. "You have to accept that."

She didn't. Not after finding that gun, not after seeing the terror in Mickey's eyes last night. "You're in over your head, Arch. You're in this… relationship with a person who's making you cut everyone else in your life. Mickey and I barely heard from you over the summer. Jughead thought you two weren't friends anymore." The blonde-haired girl reached over and took the young musician's hand, forcing his warm brown eyes to meet her soft green orbs. "Just think about what you're doing, Archie," she pleaded "Not just for your sake, but Miss Grundy's too. Is this really what's best for her?" she asked.

Betty was right. If their relationship ever got out, Geraldine could lose her job or go to jail.

"Betty, I am going to deal with this," Archie promised "But on my terms. Not yours or Mickey's."

The blonde-haired girl sighed as the mention of the blue-eyed twin with the short temper. "You need to talk to him Archie," she advised "He's terrified that Miss Grundy is hurting you."

"She's not."

"Okay. But, not everyone in your position's that lucky." After Mickey's breakdown last night, Betty did her own research on male assault victims. She cried for over an hour. "Most of the guys in a relationship like this, they're either manipulated or abused. And when they finally get the courage to speak up, nobody believes them."

"But that's not me." Archie sighed "I don't know why Mickey's so paranoid."

"Jason's dead, Archie," Betty reminded "I haven't spoken to Polly in months. Jughead's mom packed up Jellybean and left town."

"Wait, what?" Archie gave Betty a shocked look as she nodded, confirming how little he knew about his best friend.

"You two are the only siblings who haven't been split up. So yeah, maybe Mickey's being overprotective," Betty admitted "Or maybe he's just scared of losing his brother."

* * *

Mickey walked into Pop's diner that afternoon, dressed in a green field jacket, a dark grey t-shirt, dark jeans and brown boots, scanning the bright red booths as he spotted Veronica Lodge sitting by herself, dressed in a in a sleeveless black turtleneck, a dark plaid skirt and heels, her trademark pearls around her neck.

"Hey," The New York gave the blue-eyed twin a small smile as he sat down next to her. "Thanks for meeting me."

"No problem. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize," Veronica informed "For how I acted about this whole Grundy situation. You were right. If it had been a girl sleeping with a teacher, I would've done anything it took to stop it," she admitted "I thought about what you said last night, and I did some digging. The number of boys that get attacked each year," the raven haired-girl shuddered "it's horrible."

Mickey grimaced. "Yeah."

"I shouldn't have acted like this wasn't a big deal just because Archie's a boy. This is a serious issue every story needs to be taken seriously," she acknowledged."and I'm sorry if acted otherwise."

Mickey gave the raven-haired girl a small smile. "It's alright, New York. I know how much you big city types love your juicy gossip," he quipped earning a brief laugh from the two of them.

"Archie's lucky to have you, you know," Veronica commented "Part of me has always wanted a brother or sister, especially since my dad got arrested."

"Well, you've got one now," Mickey offered "Kevin always said I'm the big brother of our group. What's one more sister to look out for?" he chuckled.

"Well, in the spirit of friendship, how would my surrogate big brother like to come with me and Kevin to the Drive-In tonight?" Veronica requested "keep us safe from the big, bad, Serpents?"

Mickey chuckled. "Something tells me that you could take the whole gang by yourself if you wanted to."

"You know it."

* * *

Mickey sat with Veronica and Kevin in the back of his truck, New York native snuggling up to the son of the sheriff while the young construction worker struggled to focus on the movie. He'd been trying to get a hold of Archie for hours. After his talk with Betty, the brown-eyed twin grabbed one of his guitars and took off, not saying where he was going or when he'd be back.

As the blue-eyed twin sent his brother another text, Mickey and the others spotted familiar red convertible pull up, with Cheryl Blossom behind the wheel.

Kevin straightened up as he gave Veronica a curious look. "Did you invite her?" he asked.

The New York native shook her head. "What do you think she wants?"

Mickey sighed. "Me."

The redheaded girl stepped out of her car and walked over to the truck, an uninterested look in her eye as she glanced at the raven-haired girl and the son of the sheriff. "Make some room, outcasts."

Mickey and Veronica scooted over as Cheryl forced her way into the bed of the truck, the blue-eyed twin quickly fixing his hair in the process.

The redheaded cheerleader gave him a flirty smile. "Hi, Mickey."

"Hey, Cheryl," he greeted. Why did he always blush when she was around?"

"Disregard that outcast comment," she told him "I clearly wasn't talking about you." Mickey's heart went into overdrive as Cheryl snuggled up to him under the blankets, her wandering hands making their way to his massive bicep and giving it a squeeze. "Have you been working out?" she asked.

"A little," Mickey cleared his throat as he struggled to speak, his brain quickly turning to mush at Cheryl's touch. "I've uh, I've been my dad out helping my dad out at the construction site."

"Is that Andrews family secret to hotness? Laying brick and pouring concrete? Hmm," Cheryl gave the blue-eyed twin a curious look as she felt in his rigid shoulders. "You seem tense."

"It's a been a rough week," Mickey admitted, touched by Cheryl's concern.

The redheaded girl gave him a mischievous grin. "I can help with that."

Mickey jumped as Cheryl reached under the blanket and grabbed his thigh, the blue-eyed twin gripping the edge of the truck as he struggled to remain calm.

Veronica leaned over and gave the young baseball player a concerned look. "You alright, Mickey?"

"Peachy," he managed as his face turned bright red.

Cheryl grinned naughtily as Mickey squirmed under her touch, loving how easy it was for her get him hot and bothered. The redheaded girl had her eyes on him from the minute he got back from Chicago and she was not one to take no for an answer. "Did you want to take me here on a date Mickey?" she whispered lustfully into his ear "Did you want to get me alone in a car and makeout under the stars?"

Mickey struggled to breathe as Cheryl continued to tease him, looking anywhere but in the scarlet bombshell's direction.

"It can still happen, you know. My car's right over there," she reminded.

Mickey stayed silent as he bit down on his fist, his heart and body literally at war with each other.

"You can't play hard-to-get forever, Baby Boo," Cheryl told him with a sly smile "I know how bad you want me."

Mickey felt a shiver down his spine as Cheryl blew into his ear, a cunning smile on her lips as she leaned back and helped herself to Veronica's popcorn. Mickey took in a much-needed breath. This woman was going to be the death of him.

The four teenagers sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the movie when a heartbroken look spreading over her face as she blurted out. "Jason always loved the Drive-In."

Mickey gave the redheaded girl a sympathetic look, reaching underneath the blankets and taking her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Cheryl gave him a surprised look, a small appreciative smile spreading across her face.

At that moment, a large group of bikers sitting in the back of the lot, the Southside Serpents, became particularly rowdy, laughing and hollering as they chugged beers and threw popcorn at each other, drowning out the movie as it continued to play.

Kevin scoffed. "Southside trash."

"They've been doing that since the opening credits," Veronica complained.

Kevin craned his neck over the bed of the truck and shushed the bikers, only for them to start back up again as Kevin whipped his head back around, a frightened look on the young man's face.

Mickey scowled. His hands balled into tight fists. His blood began to boil like lava. It wasn't just the Serpents. Mickey had been trying to get a hold of Archie all day and still, nothing. The more time went by, he became worried. The more worried Mickey got, the angrier he got. After hours of nerve-wracking silence, Mickey was at the breaking point. He needed to hit something.

"I'll be right back," the blue-eyed twin quickly hoped out of the truck, giving the others a stern look as he ordered. "Stay here."

With a pounding heart, Mickey tightened his fists and marched over to the Southside Serpents, a bold and daring look in his piercing blue eyes. "Hey."

The Southside Serpents gave the young construction worker curious look, surprised to see one of the North side face them all alone.

"You guys want to keep it down?" Mickey suggested in a less than friendly tone.

"Run along, Northsider."

Mickey glanced down as one of the Serpents spoke up, a young man with long dark hair and pale blue eyes, sitting in a lawn chair as he ate his popcorn. "This is Serpent territory," the young man said in a calm, uninterested voice.

"Some of us are trying to watch the movie." Mickey reminded coldly "the least you could is keep it down. Especially since you and your boys are the reason this place is getting shut down."

At that moment, a tense silence fell over the group, as each of the Serpents gave Mickey a cold, murderous look.

The young Serpent quickly got up from his seat, giving the young baseball player an angry challenging look. "What did you just say?"

Mickey knew he should stay quiet, that he should just walk away and go back to the truck with Cheryl and the others. But he didn't. His heart was racing, and his blood was burning. He needed to hurt someone. Anyone. And who better than a Southside Serpent? They attacked women in the dead of night, sold poison to children and terrorized small businesses when they wouldn't pay protection money. They made Mickey so sick. The Serpents had plagued Riverdale for years and yet, they always found a way to avoid a jail sentence. They deserved to suffer. "I said, if you and your thugs hadn't turn this place into a one stop drug shop, then maybe the mayor wouldn't have sold it."

The young Serpent let out a low, dark chuckle, an impressed yet antagonized gleam in his cold blue eyes. "Big talk, Northsider. You better watch your mouth before you get hurt."

Mickey felt a hint of doubt as he looked around, as each of the Southside Serpents looked ready to tear him apart at a moment's notice. Mickey was strong, but even he couldn't take on all them at by himself. But as for the one in front of him, the Serpent with long hair and blue eyes... "By who? You and your boys?" he goaded "a real man fights his own battles."

The young Serpent's eye's blazed with anger, giving Mickey a challenging look. "You think I can't take you by myself?"

Mickey smirked. He and the Serpent may have been the same height, but Mickey had ten pounds on him easy. Add his boiling rage, and this little thug didn't have a chance. "I know you can't."

"Mickey."

The young baseball player's eyes went as he saw a sight that made him sick to his stomach: Cheryl Blossom walking towards them.

"There you are," she greeted with a smile "I've been looking all over for you."

Mickey quickly rushed over to her, confused and angry look on his face. What was she doing here? Before the blue-eyed twin could even say a word, Cheryl grabbed Mickey by the face and gave him a fiery kiss, earning an unexpecting look from the Serpents.

"Hmm," Cheryl ran her thumb over Mickey's lips, the blue-eyed twin giving her a shocked and stunned look. "Seems like someone's had too much to drink."

Now Mickey was really confused. He hadn't had a drink since the last summer.

"Please excuse my date," Cheryl apologized to the Serpents "He gets macho when's drunk. Come on, baby. Let's go." The redheaded girl smiled as she linked her arm with his, leading Mickey away from the gang as he and the Serpent glared at each other.

Once they were out of sight, Mickey whipped his arm out of Cheryl's grasp. "I told you to stay in the truck."

Cheryl's friendly smile faded, an equally fiery glare in her eye. "If I had, those Serpents would've turned you into roadkill."

"I didn't ask for your help, Cheryl!" Mickey snapped. Enraged, the blue-eyed twin spun around on his heels and marched off.

Cheryl gave him shocked look, watching him as he headed off into the night. "And just where do you think you're going?" *

* * *

Mickey stood alone behind the concessions stand, his hands resting on the wall as he struggled to regain control of himself.

He was just so _angry._ At everything. Angry at Cheryl for interfering. Angry at the Serpents for ruining the Drive-In. Angry at Grundy for taking advantage of Archie.

He couldn't stop thinking about it: Grundy seducing Archie over the summer. Manipulating him. Raping him. He could see it so clearly, Mickey had to squeeze his eyes shut.

His blood burned like fire. His body trembled in agony. His lungs screamed for air. His heart pounded so loudly, he could almost hear nothing else.

"Mickey?" Cheryl found the blue-eyed twin alone in the back alley of the Drive-In, his shoulders heaving as he gasped for air. "Are you alright?"

"Go away Cheryl," Mickey told her with a ragged breath.

The redheaded girl stared at him for a moment, watching the blue-eyed twin as he fought to keep the Mad Dog inside. "Not until you tell me what's going on with you."

"I said GO!" Mickey balled his fists and slammed them against the wall, mentally scolding himself immediately after. He swore that he would never let Cheryl see the monster inside, and yet here he was, barely able to keep it together. "Please," he asked her in a broken voice "Just go."

But Cheryl didn't leave. She had never seen Mickey light this before. So raw and vulnerable. Silently, the scarlet cheerleader walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She could feel his body trembling. Hear him gasping for air. See the pain and terror in his eyes. "You're having a panic attack," she told him gently "You need to relax."

"I'm trying."

"Just take a deep breath," Cheryl advised "in through your nose, out through your mouth."

Mickey kept his eyes shut as he let out heavy sigh, his heart slowing down slightly as he exhaled.

"Good," Cheryl smiled softly, gently rubbing circles between Mickey's shoulders as his muscles started to relax "Try again. Deeper this time."

Mickey nodded silently as repeated the act, letting out a deep breath as his racing heart continued to slow down. After a few minutes, Mickey's heart rate trickled down to a steady pace, his head and heart starting to clear.

"Better?" Cheryl asked, giving him a concerned look.

Mickey nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now what is going on with you?"

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, the young baseball player's pale blue eyes full of fear and uncertainty. "It's Archie. He's in trouble. He got mixed with this…girl," Mickey ran a panicked hand through his hair, the very mention of Miss Grundy making his blood pressure rise. "she was with him at Sweetwater River on July 4th. I think she had something your brother's death," he added, earning a shocked look from Cheryl "I keep trying to warn him. But he just won't," Mickey took in a shaky breath as faced the wall, his voice cracking as he said "She's going to get him killed."

Cheryl watched as Mickey rested his head on the wall, the fear quickly overtaking him again. "What about your dad?"

Mickey glanced at her. "What?"

"Your dad." She repeated "does he know about this girl your brother's so dangerously infatuated with?"

Mickey shook his head. "If I tell him, there's a good chance the whole town will find out," he told her. "Archie will be humiliated."

"Who cares?" Cheryl scoffed, earning a surprised look from Mickey. "When Jason asked me to help him fake his death, I never questioned his reasons," she admitted shamefully "not for one second. I was so focused on giving my brother what he wanted that I forgot my most important job as his sister: To protect my brother," Cheryl stepped forward as the Mickey started at her, the two redheads now standing less than a foot away from each other, as the scarlet cheerleader spoke in a desperate voice. "Protect your brother, Mickey. No matter what the cost."

* * *

"This takes me back." Fred sat with Hermione Lodge in his truck that night, the construction worker letting out a light chuckle as he asked. "Remember sophomore year? When we saw Candyman? God," Fred groaned as the memories ran through his head. "I hated Candyman."

Hermione laughed. "You picked it. You thought I'd get scared and jump into your arms," she teased "like a damsel in distress."

"You did kiss me," Fred reminded coyly.

Still smiling, Hermione glanced down at her phone as it went off, a worried look spreading across her face.

"Everything alright?" Fred asked in a concerned manner.

"Yeah," Hermione assured him with a forced smile. "I'm just a little hungry. I'm gong to get some popcorn."

"I'll go," Fred offered, reaching for the door.

"No. That's okay," Hermione responded quickly yet politely "I want to powder my nose. I'll be right back."

As the New York socialite walked off, Fed sat alone in the truck, silently watching the movie as his mind started to wander. Never a million years did he think he would be back at the Drive-In with Hermione. There was a time where she was his whole world. But that was a long time ago. Before…-,

"Dad!"

Fred jumped as his blue-eyed son barged into his truck. Mickey, what?"

"I need to talk to you," the younger Andrews told his father "It's about Archie. I should've told you sooner but I-,"

The two Andrews men jumped as a blonde-haired woman banged on her flashlight on the window, shining the light right in their faces.

Fred gasped. "Alice? What in God's name-?"

"You need to come with me," she ordered "now. It's about the kids."

With fear and worry in their eyes, Fred and Mickey got out of the truck and followed Alice Cooper to her car. "This have anything to do with what you wanted to talk about?" Fred asked Mickey.

"I hope not. Betty," Mickey frowned as he climbed into the back of the Cooper's car, the blonde-haired girl's face twisted up in guilt and pain. "What's wrong?"

Betty's response was heartbroken whisper. "She knows." *

* * *

Throughout the entire drive to the school, Mickey kept texting Archie. To call him. To run. To get as far away from Miss Grundy as humanly possible. But it was all for nothing.

The brown-eyed twin stood with music teacher in her classroom, the two of them locked in a warm embrace as Alice came barging in, with Mickey, Fred and Betty following behind her.

"Well, well, well," Alice stated, taking in a dark sense of satisfaction "there they are, just like I told."

Archie's heart stopped, his face turning as pale as a ghost as his worst nightmares became a reality.

"C-Can someone explain what's going on here?" Miss Grundy asked, trying to stay calm.

"Yes. Archie," Alice gave the brown eyed twin a cold, judgmental glare "would you care to share you two have been doing during your 'music lesson'?" she asked "and please don't leave out any of the lurid details. Because Betty keeps a very meticulous diary," she stated, causing her daughter to squirm in guilt and sorrow "and I would be more than happy to fill in the details."

Archie's eyes drifted over to his best friend, the blonde-haired girl on the verge of tears as she mouthed a simple sentence: _"I'm sorry."_

"That's enough, Mrs. Cooper," Mickey told her in a protective voice. As much as he hated Miss Grundy, the last thing he wanted was for Alice Cooper, the biggest gossip in all of Riverdale to get a hold of such a scandal. Especially with her unreasoned hatred towards his brother.

But Alice was just getting started. "I never thought I would live to see the day." The blonde-journalist marched over to Miss Grundy, a disgusted and murderous look in her cold green eyes. "I thought the one thing we could keep Riverdale safe from was child predators."

"Miss Grundy isn't a predator," Archie disputed fiercely "she's a good person."

"That's debatable," Mickey scoffed.

"You don't have to defend me Archie," Miss Grundy told him, in a low intense voice.

"No," Fred agreed, a protective fire in his eyes. "he doesn't."

"Well, they're certainly not denying it, are they? They are clearly guilty," Alice confirmed. "I say we take this to Sherriff Keller."

"Dad," Archie gave his father a pleading look. "You can't let that happen."

"Son…it's complicated," he managed, still trying to fully process the situation.

"She didn't force me to do anything!" Archie disputed "I went after her. Everything that happened, I wanted to happen."

"Well, there's no surprise there," Alice commented.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Mickey questioned, his blue eyes blazing with fury.

"Why are you doing this, Mom?" Betty asked in a heartbroken voice "putting Miss Grundy on trial?"

"This isn't just about her," Alice whipped around and jabbed a judgmental finger in the brown-eyed twin's face. "This is about him. I want you to see what kind of person Archie truly is."

At that moment, Mickey began to see red. The blue-eyed twin quickly stepped between the reporter and his brother, a protective fire in his eyes as he snarled. "Keep your hands off my brother."

"That is what this about?" Fred realized in shocked and sickened voice "Your crazy grudge against my teenage son?"

Before Alice could say another word, Betty grabbed her mother by the arm, her eyes blazing with a protective fire "I am _never_ going to stop being friends with Archie, mom," she vowed fiercely "ever."

"My bother is not a monster," Mickey disputed, jabbing a finger at Miss Grundy "the monster is her."

"That's enough. We're done here," Fred decided "Boys, let's go."

"No," Mickey snarled, his blue eyes boiling with rage as he stared at the music teacher huddled in the corner. "She does not get away with this."

"Stop. STOP!" Archie shouted, causing a nervous silence to fall over the room. "You're right about me, Mrs. Cooper," he admitted, earning a surprised look from the reporter "I'm selfish. And stupid," he self-reprimanded. He never should've let things with Geraldine get this far. If he'd used his head from the beginning, none of this would've happened. "And I don't deserve to be your daughter's friend."

 _You're wrong._ Mickey thought _You're the best guy I know. All you've ever done is try to help the people you care about._ The blue-eyed twin gave Miss Grundy a cold, murderous glare _Even when they don't deserve you._

"But please," Archie begged "don't hurt Miss Grundy because you want to hurt me."

"This isn't about hurting anyone Archie," Alice disputed in a stoic, self-righteous tone "this is about doing what's right."

"Bull," Mickey snapped "You don't care about what's right. All you care about is tearing people to shreds with that gossip rag you call a newspaper."

Alice gave the blue-eyed a shocked and angry look. "Excuse me?"

"Alice, I swear to God," Fred threatened in a low, intense voice "if you say one word about this, I will-,"

"Print one word about this Mom," Betty threatened a surprisingly dark voice "and I'll tell everyone that I broke into Miss Grundy's car."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Betty-,"

"That I robbed her," she continued "and made up the story of their affair. It'll be like…. I finally snapped," Betty described "like Polly."

Alice gave her daughter a shocked look as she heard the seriousness in her voice.

"It'll prove what everyone already thinks about us," she went on "Crazy runs in that family," the blonde-haired girl stepped towards her mother, a dark challenging look in her green eyes as she whispered, "Like mother, like daughter."

Archie started at his best friend as she defended him, a single question running through his mind: Why? After everything she'd learned, after everything he'd put her through, why would Betty fight for him so fiercely?

"I'll quit."

At that moment, all eyes turned to Miss Grundy, the once silent music finally speaking up from the corner of the room. "I'll quit my job," she repeated, standing up "will that satisfy you?"

Mickey scoffed as he lunged at her, the music backing away frightfully Fred fought to hold his son back. "You are not getting off that easy," he snarled.

"Son, calm down." Fred told him firmly.

"She has to leave town," Alice stipulated, a firm fire in her eyes as she remained locked in a staring match with her daughter.

"No," Archie disputed instantly. "No way."

"Son," Fred spoke to his son in a calm, soothing voice "don't fight this."

"Why does she need to leave town?" Archie demanded.

"Because it's what's best," Fred explained cryptically "and because Alice will keep her word."

"I will," the reporter confirmed in an unsatisfied tone.

"I'll pack my things," Miss Grundy announced as she headed for the door, grabbing her new bow with her head facing the floor "I'll be gone by morning."

"Dad, you can't be serious," Mickey insisted, the blue-eyed twin both baffled and outraged.

"Son, this is the best option," Fred insisted gently.

"Best for who?" Mickey shouted.

"For your brother."

At that moment, Mickey turned his eyes towards his brother and the music teacher, watching the two of them share a heartbroken, departing glance. Mickey's heart broke as he saw the pain in Archie's eyes, his dark brown orbs begging Miss Grundy not to leave. Fred was right. Mickey was so blinded by his rage, so desperate to see Miss Grundy suffer, he'd forgotten that the one who'd suffer the most from a public trial, was Archie.

Reluctantly, Mickey allowed Miss Grundy leave, the music teacher giving Archie a silent look as she turned around and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Betty sat alone in her room later that night, wiping the unshed tears from her eyes as her mother walked out. She was so tired of Alice. Tired of her trying to paint her friends as monsters. Tired of her trying fit her impossible cookie-cutter box of perfection. Tired of her acting like she was another Polly in the making.

Letting out a sigh, Betty looked out her window towards the house across the street, the brown-eyed twin sitting alone in his room, a heart broken look on his face. It killed her to see him like that. It reminded her of when his mother first left. So alone and full of agony. Desperate to ease his pain in anyway, the blonde-haired girl pulled out her phone and sent the brown-eyed twin a simple text: _"I'm sorry."_

Archie glanced down at his phone as it went off, looking at Betty through the window as he sent her a message back: _"It's okay. U were trying to help"_

Betty gave the young musician a small as she read his text, sending another message right back: _"You're wrong, u know. You're not selfish or stupid."_

Archie gave the young reporter a guilty look as he read her message. _"I don't know about that,"_ he texted back.

" _I do,"_ Betty disputed _"U were going to end things with Miss Grundy tonight."_

Archie frowned as he read the latest message from Betty _"How did u know?"_

" _Because I know u,"_ Betty texted back _"It was the only way to keep her safe without losing her. That's not safe or stupid."_

Archie gave the blonde-haired girl a surprised expression. _"Does that mean u don't hate me?"_ he asked.

Betty gave the brown-eyed twin a soft, comforting look. _"There is nothing on Earth that could make me hate U."_

* * *

Mickey sat alone in the living room of his home, staring at his phone as he dialed in a familiar number.

" _Hello?"_ Cheryl asked as she answered the phone.

"It's me, "Mickey responded "I took your advice. I told my dad."

" _How'd it go?"_

"Mickey sighed. "Archie's heartbroken. But he's safe."

" _That's all that matters. Cherish your brother Mickey,"_ Cheryl advised in a solemn voice _"He's the only one you've got."_

"Careful, Baby Doll," Mickey warned in a teasing voice "You're starting to sound like you care about me."

" _Who said I didn't?"_

* * *

Mickey stood in the doorway to his room, watching his brother as he sat on the edge of his bed, a heartbroken, shattered look in Archie's dark brown orbs.

'I know this isn't what you wanted," Mickey acknowledged in a melancholy voice "I know you wanted me to back off. I know that you might hate me right now," he managed in a cracking voice "But everything I did-,"

"I don't hate you, Mickey," Archie interrupted in a hollow voice. The brown-eyed twin rose from and walked over to brother, his dark brown orbs red and bloodshot from tears. "I am mad that you were a part of this," he admitted "but you're my brother. I know you were just trying to protect me."

"But that doesn't make it hurt any less," Mickey assumed "does it?"

Archie shook his head, his dark brown orbs full of anguish as they swelled with tears.

Mickey recognized that look. His brother had worn it many times after Mary left. "Do you want to be alone?"

Archie shook his head, pulling his brother close as let out a shaky breath and cried.

"I've got you, brother," Mickey whispered, hugging Archie as tightly as he could "I've got you."


	5. Chapter 5: Heart of Darkness

_Cheryl Blossom walked silently down the empty halls of Thornhill late that night, dressed in a long flowing nightgown in her signature red hue, the candelabra in her hand the sole source of light in the otherwise pitch-black halls._

 _Without making the slightest of sounds, the gothic heroine made her way downstairs to the main hall, where a large wooden box sat on a table in the middle of the room. Jason Blossom's coffin._

 _With a pounding heart, Cheryl walked over and slowly opened the casket, only to find it completely empty, the inside of the lid covered with bloodied claw-like marks._

 _At that moment, Cheryl felt a cold chill creep down her spine, giving her a gut-wrenching feeling that someone was watching her. As her hands started to shake, Cheryl tensely turned around, where a twisted version of her brother stood before her._

 _His skin was pale and rotting. His clothes tattered and dirty. His eyes cold and lifeless. He was the definition of the undead. A walking corpse. A sick perversion of life and death._

 _Jason stayed silent as he began to move, reaching a cold and rotting hand towards his sister, causing Cheryl to scream at the top of her lungs._

* * *

Cheryl gasped for air as her nightmare came to an end, desperately grasping her throat as her heart attempted to leap out of her chest, her lungs gasping for breath.

"Cheryl."

The redheaded girl gasped as Penelope Blossom made her presence known, the grieving mother standing in the doorway as she gave her daughter a cold judgmental glare. "I told you. No more sleeping in Jason's bed."

The leader of the Rivervixens quickly glanced around and took in her surroundings, realizing that she was once again in her late brother's bedroom. She'd been found here more than once since Jason's body was found, hoping to hold onto what little remnants of brother she still had left. "I-I, I didn't mean to," Cheryl responded in a soft, timid tone "I was just working on the eulogy. For Jay-Jay."

Penelope scoffed. "Don't bother. You won't be speaking at the memorial," she revealed, earning a hurt and angry look from her daughter, crumpling up the latest version of her speech. "You've humiliated this family enough."

* * *

Archie stood in front of the heavy bag late that night, pounding away all the raging emotions inside him, his face and skin covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Hey Rocky."

Archie turned around as father spoke up, the construction worker standing in the doorway of his sons' bedroom, a concerned and tired look on his face.

Archie huffed. "Hey. Didn't mean to wake you," he apologized "just trying to get back into fighting shape for the field."

Fred tilted his head as his son went back to beating the heavy bag at one o'clock in the morning. "So… all this is all for football?"

The brown-eyed twin nodded, trying to force down all the pain he felt regarding the absence of Miss Grundy. "Coach Clayton is choosing the starting lineup next week. And a new captain. It's like you said," Archie grunted as he unleashed a massive right hook on the bag. "Football gets me a scholarship. Scholarships get me into college, where I get to study music," the brown-eyed twin paused for a moment as he took a breath. "Captains get scholarships."Fred gave his son an uncertain look as he went back to hitting the heavy bag, glancing over at Mickey's side of the room, only to find an empty bed.

* * *

"There you are."Fred found his son parked on the living room couch, wrapped in a warm grey flannel blanket as he starred at up at the ceiling."Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"Nope." Mickey sighed as he got up from the couch and headed into the kitchen, dressed in nothing more than a pair of green pajama pants and a white tank top. "Not with Archie-Boy getting ready for the title fight upstairs."

Fred pressed his lips together as he followed his son into the kitchen, pouring each of them a small glass of water. "Your brother's taking this Grundy thing pretty hard."

Mickey grimaced as he clenched his jaw, the very mention of the former music teacher making his blood boil. "I should've told you about them from the beginning, Dad. If I had-,"

"Archie still would be brokenhearted," Fred disputed, placing a comforting hand of his son's shoulder. "This isn't on you Mickey. Just give your brother time. He'll be okay."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Mickey sat with Betty and Jughead in the office of the Blue & Gold the next morning, watching Kevin Keller as he set up an elaborate collage on a blank chalkboard.

"This is a copy of everything that was stolen from my dad's office the other night." On the final night of the Drive-In, someone broke into Sheriff Keller's home and stole all the evidence from the Jason Blossom case.

"Did the police find any evidence?" Jughead questioned "Fingerprints? Hair samples?"

"Nope. But whoever it was, they got everything," Kevin emphasized "Back-up files, background checks, interview recordings."

"It was the killer," Mickey interrupted, the blue-eyed twin dressed in a green bomber jacket, a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and white Adidas sneakers, sitting on the edge of his desk, looking over all of the evidence on the board, a cold and angry look in his eye. "He knows we're getting close."

The blue-eyed twin glanced over at the door as classmate poked his head into the office, a nervous smile on his face. Trev Brown, the freshman who confirmed the existence of Chuck Clayton's infamous score book.

"Hey Betty," the freshman greeted with a nervous smile "I just wanted make sure we were still on for tonight?"

"Yeah. It's a date," Betty confirmed with a smile, earning a confused and surprised look from the boys. As a blushing Trev made his way to class, Betty turned around and saw Kevin, Jughead and Mickey all staring at her. "What?"

"Since when are you dating Trev?" Kevin asked.

Betty blushed. "It's not a date, Kevin."

"You called it a date," Jughead countered "You literally said 'it's a date.'"

"Trev was on the football team with Jason," Betty reminded "I'm hoping that he can give us some more info on what Jason was up to before he died. It's a date-date. It's reconnaissance."

"So, you're stringing along a guy who genuinely likes you, just so you can get a break in a story," Mickey gave his childhood friend a teasing glance "Keep it up Bets and you'll be a bigger heartbreaker than Veronica."

* * *

Mickey and Archie sat together in the bleachers at lunch later that day, the two brothers talking about Archie's new desire to be captain of the Bulldogs.

"So, it's down to you and Reggie?" Mickey gave his brother a surprised look. "That's some stiff competition, Archie-Boy."

"Yeah, no kidding. I was hoping that you would help me?" Archie asked, "maybe do some quick scrimmage plays with me after school to help me memorize?"

"Sorry, Archie-Boy. But there is no way I am getting caught in the middle of another competition between you and Reggie." Mickey learned that lesson the hard way. One time they were kids, Archie and Reggie nearly got into a fist fight over a questionable call during a game of ice hockey.

"Archie."

The Andrews brothers look up as Veronica Lodge walked over into the bleachers, with Jughead, Betty and Kevin following behind her.

"So Archiekins, how is life in a PG world?" the New York native asked.

"PG?" Mickey repeated.

"Post-Grundy," she translated, earning a judgmental look from her friends. "What? Too soon?"

Archie stayed silent for a moment, the mention of absent music teacher making the pain in his heart to flare up. "Coach is picking a team captain this week," he informed his friends "so I don't have much time to think about anything else."

Betty gave the brown-eyed twin a concerned look. "You're not using football as a way to avoid your feelings, are you?"

Mickey straightened up at that point. He'd just figured his brother was trying to let out all the anger he had from Miss Grundy leaving. Then again, Archie had never been the angry brother.

"I'm not avoiding anything Betty," Archie disputed in a detached voice "I'm getting my life back on track."

"I think I can help with that."

The young high school friends looked up as Valerie Brown, one of the members of Josie and the Pussycats, sat down next to them, giving the brown-eyed twin a friendly smile. "I know that Miss Grundy was tutoring you."

"Understatement of the year," Veronica whispered, earning another glare from Mickey.

"But, there's this songwriter from New York," Valerie went on "incredible mentor. He does temp work as a professor at Carson College. You want to meet him?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great," Archie replied, the eager look on his face fading away as quickly as it came "But… football-,"

"No," Betty interrupted "Archie can. And he will," she confirmed in a firm and gentle voice.

"Go for it, bro," Mickey encouraged, giving his brother a pat on the shoulder.

Archie stayed silent for a moment, an uncertain look spreading across his face.

Valerie shrugged. "Do what you want, but spots are filling up fast." The Pussycat pulled out a piece of paper from her bag and placed it in the front pocket of Archie's jacket, her fingers lingering as she felt his firm, tone muscles through his clothes.

Archie felt his face grow warm at her touch, a yearning look in her soft green eyes, causing him to smile. "Thank you, Val."

Mickey gave his brother a curious look as Archie watched Valerie walk away, the two of them sharing a lingering glance. Maybe Archie-Boy was more over Grundy than they thought.

As Valerie disappeared from view, Mickey spotted Cheryl Blossom in the distance, dressed in a little black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, walking towards them.

Mickey's heart skipped a beat. His face grew warm. And without a single thought, the blue-eyed twin quickly ran his hands through his dark red hair, making sure not a strand was out of place.

Veronica caught the young baseball player primping and smiled. "Getting gussied up your Baby Doll, Mickey?"

Mickey's face turned bright red. "She's not my girlfriend, New York."

"Doesn't stop you from peacocking every time she's around," she teased.

"Listen up Sad Breakfast Club," Cheryl stated, a flirty gleam in her eye as she glanced at the blue-eyed twin "and Mickey. I am here to officially invite you all to Jason's memorial this weekend." The redheaded girl quickly handed out the invitations, pausing for a moment as she locked eyes with the girl from New York. "To my surprise, Mother added you to the list. Keep in mind that we will be searching bags," she warned "in case you and your mother are tempted to steal something." And without another word, she walked off.

"Hey," Betty gave her best friend a comforting look "keep in mind, she is burying her brother."

* * *

"Cheryl, wait up."

The Queen Bee of Riverdale High turned around as Mickey caught up with her in the halls at school, a concerned look on his face. "I just wanted to check up on you," he explained "I know this can't be easy for you."

"I am days away from burying my twin brother, months after his death, with his cold-hearted killer still on the loose," she recapped "Easy is far from how I would describe this week."

Mickey gave her a sympathetic look. "You don't have to go through this alone, Cheryl."

"Such a gentleman," she teased "Don't you worry about me, Baby Boo. Veronica's coming over for a sleepover before the memorial. Although," the leader of the Rivervixens gave the blue-eyed twin a seductive smile, placing a hand on his chest. "I'd be more than willing to cancel for a sleepover with you."

Mickey's heart skipped a beat at her touch, his cheeks growing warm as he removed her hand. "As tempting as that is, I promised myself I'd stop making things easy for you."

"Now, Mickey. As flattering as these romantic notions are, do you honestly think you can keep this up?"

"Do you?" Mickey smiled as Cheryl gave him a confused look. "What you did for me at the Drive-In, that had noting to do with sex."

Cherly's heat skipped a beat as Mickey walked towards her, gently backing her into the lockers, the look in his eye catching her off guard. There was a fire in those beautiful blue orbs, a playful confidence that she had not seen in him since last spring.

The two redheads now stood less than a foot away from each other, their lips dancing dangerously close. Mickey hadn't been this forward with Cheryl for a while, but it wasn't due to a lack of confidence. He knew that if he played her game, he'd end up right back where he started last spring: lying in Cheryl's bed, but with no chance of a real relationship. But after the Drive-In, when she saved him from a beating from the Southside Serpents, Mickey got the feeling that Cheryl cared about more than she let on. Besides, just because he was playing hard-to-get, didn't mean he couldn't flirt back, did it?

Forcing himself not to try and taste her tantalizing lips, Mickey pulled away from Cheryl's mouth and brought his lips to the edge of her ear, his breath tickling the skin of her neck.

Cheryl smiled. She always adored it when Mickey whispered naughty little secrets into her ear. But there was nothing scandalous about this confession.

"I think we could be something really special, Cheryl. Think about it," he suggested softly "the baseball player and the cheerleader? Practically writes itself." Mickey smirked as he saw the look on Cheryl's face, a faint redness spreading across her cheeks. How was it that this made her blush and not all the things they said to each other in French class? "We've been at this for a long time, Cheryl. And I have wanted to be with you for as long as I can remember. And l like to think that you want to be with me too. But until you're ready to take that next step,"

Cheryl's stomach filled with bustling butterflies as Mickey gently pressed his lips against her cheek, the chaste gesture making her heart race. It was the emotion behind the it that made her feel this way, the deep-rooted sincerity behind his words that made such a simple kiss seem so powerful.

"My shoulder's free," Mickey offered "in case you ever need to talk. Nobody should ever have to go through what you're facing alone," he told her "I'll see you around, Baby Doll."

Cheryl stayed silent as the blue-eyed twin walked out of sight, her fingertips lingering on the spot where her lips met her cheek.

* * *

Cheryl stood in the main hall of Thornhill later that day after cheerleading practice, watching as the planners and caterers set everything in place for the memorial. And it was killing her. Every time she saw a picture of her dearly departed and beloved brother, the pain in her heart intensified. She wished Jason was still here. She'd give anything for him come back, to hold her in his arms and never let him go.

As the scarlet haired Rivervixen made her way into the main hall, she overheard her parents speaking with Sheriff Keller.

"We've already invited everyone on our list," Penelope informed, playing with one of the roses from the floral arrangements.

The Sheriff cocked his head to the side, giving the grieving parents a curious look as he asked. "What list?"

"The list of suspects," Clifford replied in his traditional cold and stoic tone "Someone in this town killed Jason," he reminded.

"That's our thought too," Sheriff Keller confirmed "whoever broke into my house knew that I'd be at the Drive-In that night."

"Which means there's a very real possibility that Jason's murderer will soon be in this room," Penelope surmised.

Cheryl was stunned. "That's why you invited the Lodges and everyone else?" she asked, causing the all adults to turn their eyes on her. "To investigate them?" the sole surviving Blossom twin scoffed "and you say I'm manipulative and making this all about myself. This memorial should be about saying goodbye to Jason," she insisted "not revenge."

"I will not have you question me on how to process _my_ son's death!" Penelope snapped.

Cheryl jumped back at the whip-like crack in her mother's voice, spinning around and taking off down the hall. The redheaded girl finally came to a stop as she reached the main staircase, her heart racing as her eyes filled with unshed tears. First her mother forbade her to speak at her own brother's funeral and now they tarnish his memory with alternative motives? As Cheryl fought to keep her sorrow contained, she unknowingly found herself attempting to call Mickey Andrews, only to stop at the last second.

* * *

Mickey stood in the kitchen with his father that night, his green jacket now laid across the couch, checking his phone for what felt like the hundredth time. Ever since his talk with Cheryl, he'd been hoping, praying that she would call. To give him the chance to at least try to help her.

"You alright son?"

Mickey blinked as his father spoke, giving his son a concerned expression as Fred finished dinner.

"Yeah. Sorry Dad," he apologized "I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

"This have anything to do with Jason Blossom's funeral?"

"That's part of it. Remember that girl I told you about?" Mickey asked. "She and Jason were really close."

"Ah," Fred nodded "Cheryl must be taking this pretty hard."

Mickey's eyes widened. "How did you-?"

"Son," Fred chuckled at the stunned look on his child's twin face "I was there when Cheryl planted that kiss on you at the Valentine's dance," he reminded "and you have been hooked ever since."

Mickey sighed, trying to fight the growing redness in his cheeks. "I want to help her, Dad. I want to help her get through this. Cheryl's about the bury her brother," he reminded "after thinking he was alive for the past two months. That can't be easy for her."

"Son, you can't make somebody open up to you," Fred told him "No matter how much you want them to. Just give her time," he advised, heading upstairs to let Archie know that dinner was ready "and when she's ready, she will."

"I know," Mickey sighed as followed his father upstairs. "I just wish there was something I could do."

"You think you two have a shot?" Fred asked. "at something real?"

"I hope so. Maybe after she gets some closure we can-," Mickey's voice trailed off as he and Fred walked into Mickey's bedroom where they saw an unexpected sight.

Archie sat on the floor in front of his bed, a series of music sheets scattered in front of him as he held his guitar. With Valerie Brown lying on his bed.

The brown-eyed twin hoped off the bed as Mickey cleared his throat, causing a panicked look to spread over the aspiring musician's face.

"Dad," Archie's face slowly turned red. "This, uh, th-this is Valerie," he introduced gesturing to the girl in his room.

"Valerie. From Josie and the Pussycats," Fred realized "Oh, I'm a, I'm a big fan."

Valerie smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Andrews. Hi Mickey."

"Hey, Valerie. Dad, Valerie's the one who helped Archie find this internship at Carson College," the blue-eyed twin informed, giving his brother a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, and we could really use some privacy," Archie added in a slightly irritated voice.

"Right. Well, we'll just leave you two alone then," Fred announced in a flustered voice "We'll just close the door on our way out. Not all the way, of course."

As Fred nervously left the room, Mickey stayed where was, a teasing smile spreading across his face at his brother's situation. "Dinner's ready. Can I get you guys anything?" he offered "Food? Water? Maybe some candles and rose petals?"

"No Mickey," Archie responded in a polite yet firm tone "We're good."

"Okay," the blue-eyed twin shrugged as he turned around and headed for the door "enjoy your…music session."

As he headed downstairs, Mickey pulled out his hair and sent his brother a quick text: _Don't get her pregnant._

Less than a minute later, Archie responded with only two words: _Shut. Up._

Mickey smirked. He had to give his brother credit. Archie bounced back fast.

* * *

Mickey sat in the Student Lounge with Betty and Jughead the next day at school, a single heartbreaking thought racing through his mind: Polly Cooper.

After her date with Trev, Betty finally managed to get her father, Hal Cooper, to talk about Polly. And how their break-up drove her to attempt suicide.

The blue-eyed twin stared at the floor, his face pale as a ghost as he gasped. "I just can't believe it."

"Betty," Jughead spoke to the blonde-haired girl in a solemn sympathetic voice "I'm so sorry."

The young reporter spoke in a hollow voice, an empty and sorrowful tone in her voice. "I asked my Dad if could call Polly. He said she was getting better but, after she found out about Jason, she had a big setback. Doesn't want to upset her. Mickey," Betty gave one of her oldest friends a desperate look "Do you have any idea why Polly would try to hurt herself?"

The blue-eyed twin looked up from the floor, dressed in his iconic brown leather jacket, dark jeans, brown work boots and a green and white flannel shirt, a nervous and troubled look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You and Polly are best friends. You were sleeping with Cheryl while she and Jason were together," Betty reminded "Did she say anything to you? Did you hear them arguing?"

Mickey's heart started racing. His palms turned clammy. A massive black hole of guilt swallowed his stomach. He didn't know why he still felt like this. After learning that losing Jason drove Polly to try to take her own life, he should've known he made the right decision last summer. Maybe it was the fact that no one had seen or heard from Polly in months. Maybe it was the fact that he knew just how much Jason and Polly loved each other. But whatever the reason, Mickey couldn't bring himself to tell anyone what he'd done. Not until he knew for sure that he made the right choice. But he couldn't lie to Betty either.

The blue-eyed twin swallowed a growing lump in his throat, locking his fingers together as he answered "All I know is that Jason and Polly got real intense and were moving way too fast. When things were good, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. When things were bad," Mickey paused before revealing "they had some pretty nasty fights. I tried talking to Polly about it, but she just shut me out. We stopped talking for a while," he went on, his heart trying to punch its way out of his chest "I tried to patch things up with her in July, but she never called me back. I'm guessing that by then your parents had already sent her to that group home."

Jughead sighed as he starred at the ground, thinking aloud as he asked. "Why does a rich kid sell drugs?"

"We know Jason was running from home," Betty recalled "He must've need money."

As Betty and Jughead began to plan an investigation of Thornhill, Mickey's mind traveled back to when he first saw the dark side of Polly and Jason's relationship.

* * *

 _It was the middle of April, Mickey's first week after his suspension. And he was barely keeping it together. Even after Archie, Betty and Reggie brought him just about every piece of homework for the past two weeks, he was still behind in all his classes. Which is why he was running down the halls with a ton of books and two extra credit papers under his arm, desperately trying to get to English class on time._

 _As the young baseball player raced down the halls, he saw a sight out of the corner of his eye that made him stop dead in his tracks: Polly Cooper in tears._

 _The young woman sat alone in the Student Lounge, dressed in a lavender sundress with a matching headband. Along with a soft white cardigan and matching flats, her soft green eyes overflowing with tears._

" _Polly?" Mickey stood in the doorway of the Lounge, dressed in a green t-shirt, dark jeans, white Adidas sneakers, a backwards blue baseball cap on his head and a blue and yellow Riverdale High letterman jacket. After Mickey joined the baseball team, he and Archie made a pact that neither of them would wear their jacket while the other's sport was in season. It took them years to keep people from mixing them up when they were kids and they sure didn't want to go back to that now. The blue-eyed twin nervously walked into the room, giving his best friend a sympathetic look. "Are you okay?"_

 _Polly simply sniffled in response, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she continued to cry. "I'm fine."_

" _That would almost be convincing if you weren't bawling your eyes out," Mickey countered. The young baseball player sat down next to his best friend, placing his papers and books on the coffee table in front of him. "What's going on?"_

 _Mickey placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, only for Polly to let out a heartbreaking sob as she buried her face in his chest. As his best friend cried in his arms, Mickey could only thing of one thing that could make her act like this. "Polly, does this have anything to do with Jason?" he asked softly "and his drugs?"_

 _The young woman gave her friend a shocked expression, her tears coming to a quick and sudden stop. "How do you now about that?"_

" _You're not the only one who half their nights at Thornhill," Mickey reminded "the other night, I spotted a pile of weed on Jason's dresser."_

" _So, what?" Polly's shocked and nervous look transformed into an angry glare. "You're spying on him now?"_

 _Mickey gave Polly a confused look as she got up, the blonde cheerleader letting out a scoff as she walked off. "I wasn't spying." The blue-eyed twin quickly got up from his seat, chasing after best friend down the halls. "Jason left his door open and I had to pass his room to sneak out of Cheryl's. Polly, what is Jason up to?" he demanded._

" _Nothing," she disputed sharply "so he has a little weed. Big deal."_

" _More like a brick. And what looked like a bag full of Jingle-Jangle," Mickey added "What is he, some sort of dealer?"_

" _Just drop it, Mickey," Polly snapped "whatever Jason's up to, it's none of your b-" At that moment, the blonde-haired cheerleader stopped dead in her tracks, her face quickly turning a sickly green. Before Mickey could even react, Polly grabbed her stomach and bolted over the nearest garbage can, letting out a guttural groan as she keeled over and threw up into the trash._

" _Polly," Mickey walked over to his best friend as she continued to vomit, a nervous look spreading across his face. This wasn't the first time she'd been sick. "What is going on with you?"_

" _Nothing," she cocked out "I'm fine."_

" _You're throwing up in a garbage can. I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite of fine."_

" _It's just a flu, Mickey," Polly insisted, wiping her mouth "I'll be over it in a couple of days."_

" _Who gets the flu in the middle of April? Polly please," Mickey begged "talk to me. Betty's says you're hardly eating. You've been arguing with your parents," he listed off "Not to mention every time I try to hang out with you, you're either with Jason or asleep."_

 _Polly stayed silent her eyes locked on the bottom of the garbage can as she struggled to come up with an answer._

" _Polly," Mickey's eyes widened as he came to a gut-wrenching theory, the very thought making him sick to his stomach "Is Jason selling drugs… or is he buying them for you?"_

 _The young cheerleader gave her friend a heartbroken look, her face flushed and her eyes bloodshot. "Mickey, please. Let this go."_

" _Polly-,"_

" _If you're really my friend," she challenged "you'll let this go."_

* * *

That wasn't the first fight Mickey and Polly had about Jason. And it wasn't the last. After months of the two of them going back and forth, Polly simply stopped talking to him. And when she finally decided to give him another chance, she hit him with a biggest bombshell of his life. One that lead him to make a decision that would haunt them to this very day.

Still wracked with shame and uncertainty, Mickey decided to talk to the one person who might be able to help him with this.

"I can't explain it Mom," Mickey stood by the lockers in the middle of his free period, talking to Mary on the phone "but something about this whole thing just doesn't feel right."

" _Honey, you have got to stop torturing yourself,"_ Mary insisted in a soothing, motherly tone _"you need to understand you did the right thing."_

"Then why do I still feel guilty? Why do I get sick to my stomach every time someone mentions Polly?" Mickey voice started to crack as he asked, "Why do I feel like I stabbed my best friend in the back?"

" _You and Polly have been best friends since you could walk_. _And she trusted you with a big secret. Yes, you broke that rust," Mary_ acknowledged _"but you did it to protect her."_

"Doesn't feel like I protected her."

" _Just give it time, Mickey. And when Polly comes home, everything will be fine,"_ Mary assured him _"I've got to go. I have to get to court. I love you."_

"I love you too." Mickey sighed as hung up the phone, leaning his head back against the lockers. He wished he could talk to Polly. Just for a minute, just so he could know that she was okay. But the Coopers made it clear. Polly wasn't ready to face the outside world yet. Running a weary hand through his hair, Mickey let out a deep breath and glanced at the clock on the wall. Almost time for class. With a heavy heart, Mickey shrugged his bag over his shoulder and walked off to class, praying for the day when Polly Cooper came home.

* * *

Veronica Lodge walked side by side with her fellow Rivervixens later that day, ready to make her way back home when she saw a surprising sight:Archie Andrews sitting alone on a bench in the middle of the hall, his face dirty and sweaty, still dressed in his football gear, as he struggled to bandage his wounded wrist.

Confused and concerned, the New York native walked over to the brown-eyed twin, sitting down next to him and taking the athletic gauze. "Let me help."

The young football player said nothing, giving the raven-haired beauty an appreciative look as she took his hand and started to work the gauze around his wrist.

"Isn't this your playing hand?" she asked.

Archie nodded, silently reprimanding himself for letting Reggie get the jump on him at practice.

"Archie, this hand is your instrument," Veronica reminded "you need to take better care of it. And you know," the New York native's voice softened as she added "stop punishing yourself while you're at it."

Archie frowned. "I'm not."

"Are you sure?" Veronica questioned "because you look like you haven't slept in a week."

For the past two days, the brown-eyed twin had been creeping towards the point of exhaustion, a growing pair of dark circles surrounding his eyes as he tried to give a hundred and ten percent to both football and music.

"I got slammed because I didn't know the play," Archie explained "and I didn't know the play because, like an idiot, instead of memorizing my plays, I was up all night working on songs with Valerie. God," the young football player groaned softly, his voice filled with self-loathing. "I am such an idiot."

As she continued to wrap the brown-eyed twin's hand, Veronica's mind became fixed on a single detail. "Valerie, huh?"

Archie gave the New York native a curious look, noticing the uncomfortable tone in her voice.

"Hey," the raven-haired princess shrugged as she struggled to keep her voice in a neutral tone "I support this."

"Ronnie," Archie's face broke into a teasing grin as he asked. "Are you jealous?"

"Please," the New York native scoffed confidently "I've had my seven minutes in heaven with Archie Andrews," she reminded in a sultry, seductive tone, causing the brown-eyed twin's heart to skip a beat. "There," Veronica held up the football player's injured hand, now fully and safely wrapped in the gauze, proudly showing off her handiwork. "Good as new," she proclaimed, giving it a gentle kiss.

Archie's face turned bright red. "Thanks, Ronnie."

"No problem. Now try to take better care of it," she advised "that hand is going to be worth millions someday." As the New York native prepared to head home, she found herself turning around instead, giving the brown-eyed twin a caring expression. "You're wrong, you know. You're not an idiot," she disputed gently "You're just heartbroken. Look, I'm not going to say that you and Miss Grundy had the most healthy of relationships, but it's obvious you really cared about her."

Archie's throat started to clench up, the mention of the former music teacher tearing away at the little scraps of his heart he had left. "She was the first girl I ever really liked that way," Archie's eyes felt the familiar sting of forming tears as he sighed "I haven't felt this bad since my mom left."

"Well, as a wise young redhead once told me, you get through these things by leaning on the people who are sill there for you" Veronica recited "I'll admit, I'm not the best at emotional support, but I am here for you if you need me."

"You seem to be doing a pretty good job right now," Archie told her, managing a brief smile "Thank you, Veronica."

Veronica couldn't explain why, but when Archie smiled at her, his gentle brown eyes filled with a warm, appreciative expression, she felt like a little girl going through her first crush. "Take care of yourself, Archiekins."

Archie smiled to himself as the New York native walked off, watching the raven-haired princess as she disappeared from sight.

* * *

Mickey sat on the edge of his bed at home that night, a single thought racing through his mind: Polly.

He wished he could see her, talk to her, anything. Just so he could know that she was okay. But at the same time, the thought seeing the eldest Cooper daughter again made him sick to his stomach.

What if Polly wasn't any better? What if she never got better? What if she never forgave Mickey? What if she ended up hating him for the rest of his life?

As Mickey's mind continued to race, his brother silently walked into the room, nervously clutching his injured hand.

Mickey shot up form his bed, a concerned and protective look in his eye. "What happened to you?"

"I got slammed during practice," Archie brown-eyed twin winced as he shrugged off his bag. "I need to get ready for my meeting with Castillo."

Mickey quickly stepped in his brother's way as he walked towards the bathroom, a stern and caring look on the blue-eyed twin's face. "I have kept my mouth shut long enough. Archie, you have got to stop torturing yourself," he insisted "I know that you're upset about Miss Grundy, but it wasn't your fault." The blue-eyed twin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to remain calm. "Listen, I've been doing some reading and most guys like you have something called an Oedipus Complex."

"A what?"

"It's based of this old Greek myth," Mickey explained "where this guy ends up killing his father and marrying his mother."

"Yikes."

"Yeah."

"So, what are you saying?" Archie questioned "that I was with Miss Grundy because I want to sleep with Mom?"

"No. I think you were with Grundy because you miss Mom."

While they certainly didn't look alike, Mary Andrews and Miss Grundy did share one strong similarity: their love of music. Mary's father, Theodore, was a small-time musician who sang at jazz clubs around the country. When he died, he left Mary his entire vinyl record collection, a memento she was more than happy to share with her sons.

"When's the last time you talked to her?" Mickey asked.

Archie sighed, the mention of his mother quickly opening up old wounds. "It's been a while."

"You used to call her every night."

"Yeah well, I'm not the one who stopped calling, am I?" Archie reminded, the heartache creeping into his voice.

As Mary became more and more devoted to her career, she called home less and less, getting to the point where the boys only heard from her on birthdays and Christmas.

Mickey gave his brother a sympathetic look. "I know it was hard for see me spend the summer with Mom and not you," he acknowledged "You were always her favorite."

"Mickey."

"It's okay. I'm cool with it." He had always known that Archie was the son Mary was closest with. While Mickey' and Fred were making Lego cities and balsa airplanes, Archie and Mary were listening to Grampa Ted's old records.

At that moment, the blue-eyed twin's phone went off, revealing a surprising and cryptic text from Fred: _Need your help. Come 2 Pops._

Mickey sighed. "I gotta go," the young baseball paused as he stood in the doorway to his bedroom, looking back at his brother, shrugging on his leather jacket "I know Mom hasn't had the best track record lately, but she is trying to do better," he told him "I really think you should talk to her Archie." And without another word, he headed off.

* * *

Mickey made his way over to Pop's Diner that night, where Hermione Lodge stood outside, still in her work uniform, a shaky and startled look in her eye. "Mrs. Lodge?" the blue-eyed twin frowned. "What are you doing outside?"

"Waiting for your father to finish up," she replied, earning a confused look from Mickey.

"Mick," Fred poked his head out from behind the Diner's front door, an urgent look on his face. "Come here."

Not really sure what was going on, Mickey did as he was told and walked into the restaurant, where he saw a sight that turned his face stark white: a snake, silently sliding across the floor.

"Whoa!" Mickey jumped back at the sight of the slithering serpent, stumbling back into his father's arms. "Dad, that's a snake."

"I know, I know," Fred repeated, speaking in a soft soothing voice as he struggled to calm his son. "Hermione asked us to get rid of it for her."

Mickey looked at his father like he'd just been asked to jump to the moon. "You want _me_ to help get rid of _that?"_ he asked, jabbing a finger at the roaming reptile "You know I hate snakes." When he was eight, Fred and FP Jones thought it would be nice to take a father-son camping trip. While FP and Jughead got the fire going, Fred decided to teach his sons how to fish, only for a massive water snake to jump out nowhere and nearly bite Mickey's face off while the little boy was looking for bait. Mickey had been scared of snakes ever since.

"Archie's got a meeting with his new music tutor," Fred justified "Now, all I need you to do is go around back and distract the little guy while I catch it."

Mickey gave the creature a passing glance, forcing down a shudder it poked out its tongue and hissed. "Snakes," he murmured "why did it have to be snakes?"

* * *

Veronica Lodge sat with Cheryl Blossom in the redheaded girl's bedroom, the two of them looking over old photo albums of the Blossom family.

"I hope this isn't weird," Veronica warned, staring at the late Blossom twin's photo "but Jason was crazy handsome."

"The handsomest," Cheryl confirmed in soft, sad tone "something tells me he would've liked you."

As Cheryl's gaze lingered at the latest photo of her beloved brother, the late Jason Blossom all dressed up for his yearbook picture, Veronica hesitantly asked. "Why did you invite me tonight? Why not Tina or Ginger?" she suggested "Aren't they your besties?"

"At yet at the pep rally, when I had my panic attack, you helped me," Cheryl reminded gratefully "not them."

"I wasn't the only one."

Cheryl stayed silent at the mention of blue-eyed Andrews twin, her stomach softly fluttering with butterflies. Like she could forget all that Mickey had done for her.

"Look Cheryl, I may not know everything that's going on with you and Mickey," Veronica acknowledged "but it seems obvious that he really likes you. The guy's been carrying a torch for you for almost three years," she emphasized "I mean, is the two of you together really that hard to imagine?"

Cheryl smiled softly to herself as she found Mickey's picture in the yearbook, the blue-eyed twin dressed in his Letterman jacket and a light wash denim shirt, a warm and humble smile on his face. "No," she answered in delicate tone "it's not that hard at all. Mickey was the first boy I ever really liked. After the Valentine's dance, Jason did everything he could to keep us apart," Cheryl recalled, smiling as the memories ran through her head "but that wouldn't stop Mickey. He'd pass me notes in class. Walk with me down the halls. Sit with me at lunch. I remember one time, Mickey and I got partnered up for a history project," she went on "and I asked him why he kept trying to spend time with me, even Jason semi-terrorizing him." Cheryl paused for a moment, he cheeks turning slightly red as the butterflies in her stomach bustled at a rapid pace.

Veronica was getting impatient. "What did he say?"

"He said 'It's because I'm going to marry you, Cheryl'" she recalled word for word "'and nothing on Earth is going to keep us apart. Not even your brother.'"

"He said that?"

Cheryl nodded, remembering the way Mickey looked at her all those years ago, his blue eyes full of certainty, like he could see the future. "I felt like a princess in a fairytale. I know a lot of people see Mickey as this angry, scary guy," she acknowledged "But to me, he'll always been that sweet little boy who made me feel special."

"Have you told him that?" Cheryl's silence was all the answer Veronica needed "Cheryl, I know you have a lot going on right now with your brother. But you need to tell Mickey how you really feel," she advised "Even it nothing starts happens right away. Just so he knows that he's not wasting his time."

Cheryl's voice was like that of a nervous child. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do."

"Then how do you explain you and Archie?" she asked, earning a surprised look from the raven-haired girl "I've seen the way you two look at each other. The way he blushes every time you call him Archiekins," Cheryl teased gently "I'm the one burying her brother. What's your excuse?"

"Betty," Veronica answered simply "she's my friend. And whether or not she'll admit it, she clearly still has feelings for Archie," she confirmed "When I left New York, I promised myself that was going to start being a better person. If being with Archie makes Betty happy, I'm not going to stand in the way of that."

"So, I'm too emotionally damaged, and you'd rather fall on your sword than go after two of the nicest guys in Riverdale," Cheryl recapped "We are quite the pair, Veronica Lodge."

Veronica smiled. "That we are, Cheryl Blossom."

* * *

"If this the start of a new father-son business, I've just got one rule: No snakes." Mickey walked backed into Pop's with Fred later that evening, the blue-eyed twin still trying to shake off his recent run-in with his childhood fear. "I will gladly exterminate anything else. Rats, skunks, possums, porcupines," he listed off "I will even take on a runaway bear from Foxwood forest. But no snakes," he repeated "I draw the line at snakes."

"Duly noted," Fred assured him. The construction worker glanced over at Hermione Lodge, giving her a sympathetic look "Your little friend's gone. Care to tell us why didn't call the police?"

"Or animal control?" Mickey suggested.

The New Yoke socialite stayed silent for a moment, nervously sitting in one of the booths with her hands in her lap. "I didn't know who else I could trust."

Mickey frowned at the concerned look on Fred's face, the construction working sitting down next to Hermione Lodge, their hands just out of reach.

"The snake was a message," she revealed "for me. From the serpents."

Mickey's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the infamous Riverdale biker gang. "Why would the Southside Serpents-?"

"It's Hiram," Hermione revealed "he owes them money."

Hiram Lodge. At the very mention of that name, Mickey felt an icy chill run down his spine. During his time in Chicago, he and his mother kept a watchful eye on Hiram's case, the evidence and rumors circling around Mary's lawyer friends making Hiram Lodge sound less like the loving father Veronica described and more like a ruthless mobster from the days of Capone.

Fred clenched his jaw, not at all surprised by the confirmation that Hiram Lodge was up to no good. "How much money?'

Mickey gave his father a curious look. Was he really offering to pay the Lodge's debt?

Hermione shut that down instantly. "No. No, Fred. I've already involved you enough. You and your son. I'm a big girl and I can clean up my own mess. Thank you for coming here tonight," she told them gratefully "but I really think you two should go."

As the Andrews men made their way back home, Mickey couldn't help but feel a little weary of Hermione Lodge. Maybe it was the fact that her husband was in jail. Maybe Mickey had just watched one too many mobster movies. But something about her story just felt…off. If it was, Fred didn't seem to notice. He believed every word.

* * *

Mickey stood in his bedroom early the next morning, getting ready for Jason's memorial as he struggled to find his shoes. As the blue-eyed twin tore apart his closet, he came across a familiar forgotten object: a white, medium-sized gift box, wrapped in a bright red bow. Mickey smiled. He bought this for Cheryl while he was in Chicago, hoping to give it to her on their first real date. He wasn't sure that day would ever come, but he got the feeling that Cheryl could definitely use it now.

* * *

Mickey walked into Thornhill later that morning, dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, black trousers with a matching vest, black Oxford shoes and a green bomber jacket. The young baseball player walked in side by side with his brother, with Betty and Jughead leading the way as Kevin and Valerie took up the rear.

Archie frowned at the off-set look on his brother's face. "You okay, Mick?"

"I've never been here in the daytime before," he whispered.

As they all took their seats, Archie spotted a middle-age redheaded woman amongst the crowd, making her way over. Penelope Blossom.

The brown-eyed twin quickly got up out of his seat, a nervous look on his face as he approached the mourning mother. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Blossom," he told her in a deeply honest and sincere tone "I though you should have this." The brown-eyed twin silently offered up a familiar blue and yellow shirt with the number nine on the front. Jason's football jersey.

The redheaded woman stayed silent for a moment, giving the young football player a heartbroken, mystified look. "You're so much like him."

Archie felt a nervous chill run down his spine as Penelope ran a hand across his cheek, the tips of her fingers gently brushing across his dark red hair.

Snapping back to reality, Penelope blinked rapidly as she pulled her hand away from his face, her eyes swelling up with unshed tears as she took the jersey into her arms, clutching it tightly against her chest. "I'm sorry. Thank you… Archibald." And without another word, she walked off.

"Well that was weird," Mickey commented as his brother sat back down.

"Yeah, no kidding," Kevin agreed "did she just touch your hair?"

Betty reached behind her seat and gave Archie's hand a gentle squeeze. "That was really sweet what you did," she told him, a small proud smile spreading across her lips.

"She deserves it more than I do."

As the children waited for the funeral to start, Veronica Lodge made her into room, taking a seat next to her friends. "Days like this really put things into perspective huh? At least we're all still here," she reminded softly "at we're all still alive."

As the children waited for the funeral to start, they noticed the crowd's attention being drawn to the back of the room, where they saw a jaw dropping sight: Cheryl Blossom, walking down the main hall in a pure white dress. The same dress she wore on July 4th.

Veronica gasped. She knew Cheryl was planning something for the funeral, but she never imagined _this._ "Oh my God."

Mickey's jaw went slack as he watched Cheryl walked through the room, the world fading away as he stared at the redheaded girl, looking as beautiful as a bride on her wedding day. But this was anything but a happy occasion.

"Thank you all for coming," Cheryl said in a soft and solemn tone "if you'll kindly take your seats, we can begin."

Mickey watched as Clifford Blossom kept Penelope from jumping out of her seat, the redheaded woman's eyes blazing with fury. Mickey didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling this wasn't a part of the schedule. And Penelope was not happy about it.

"The last time I saw Jason, I was wearing this dress," Cheryl began "I know it's impossible but when I wear it… it feels like he's still in the room with me."

Mickey gave Cheryl a sympathetic look as she spoke, his heart slowly breaking at the sadness in her voice.

"Even though we were twins, I used to demand that I have my own birthday party," she went on "until one year, out of the blue, Jason insisted that we combine our parties into one. It wasn't until years later that I learned it was because no one wanted to come to mine," she revealed "and Jason didn't want me to know. He protected me. Every single day." Cheryl's voice started to tremble as she croaked out "I wish that day at the river I protected him." The redheaded girl let out a sorrowful sob as she turned away from the crowd, a rapid stream of tears racing down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry Jay-Jay," she cried as Veronica raced over and took her into her arms "We failed you. All of us."

* * *

Cheryl sat alone with Veronica in the foyer later that day, a small plate of untouched food in front of her. Veronica reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "That was really amazing what you did."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't you," Cheryl gave the raven-haired girl a small, appreciative smile "Thank you, Veronica. For everything."

"Cheryl?"

The two girls looked up as Mickey Andrews walked over to them, a nervous look on his face and a box under his arm. "Can I sit?"

Veronica watched as the two redheads shared a silent look, the blue-eyed twin anxiously sitting down next to the last Blossom twin. "I'm going to powder my nose," she lied, quickly excusing herself.

After a moment's silence, Mickey spoke. "That was a really nice speech you gave at the memorial. I think Jason would've liked it."

Cheryl felt a growing lump attempt to clog her throat, the pain in her heart flaring up at the mention of her brother, her eyes still red and puffy from tears. "What's with the box?"

"It's for you." Mickey gently set the gift in her lap. "Open it."

Curious, Cheryl undid the ribbon and removed the lid, where she saw an unexpected sight: Sitting inside the white giftbox was a two-foot-tall stuffed animal, dressed in a bright blue baseball uniform with yellow strips, the word _Riverdale_ printed across the front in bright yellow letters, along with black and white cleats, a bright blue baseball cap and a baseball mitt on its hand. It was a teddy bear. With a smiling face and bright red fur.

"I made it for you while I was in Chicago. I was planning on giving it to you on our first date," Mickey gave her an embarrassed smile "It's stupid, I know."

"No," Cheryl disputed quickly. The redheaded girl gently took the bear out of the box, rubbing her fingers across its soft red fur. "Thank you, Mickey. This is very sweet."

Mickey felt his cheeks go warm at the young woman's compliment.

"To be honest, I thought you found my collection kind of silly," Cheryl admitted.

Mickey tilted his head. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you laughed at them."

The blue-eyed twin's lips curled into a brief smirk. "I wasn't laughing because I think they're silly, I laughed because I think that the fact that you collect teddy bears is insanely adorable. And a little ironic," he added, earning a confused look from Cheryl "my middle name's Theodore," he revealed.

"Theodore?"

Mickey nodded. "It's my Grandpa's name. My mom and her dad, they were very close. Apparently, he's where I get my blue eyes from."

"You're telling me your full name's-?"

"Mickey Teddy Andrews," he confirmed. "One of the many reasons I got into so many fights as a kid."

Cheryl gave the blue-eyed twin a small smile. "I like your middle name," she told him, causing Mickey to blush. The redheaded girl paused briefly before saying. "Rosie."

Mickey frowned. "What?"

"You said you didn't know my middle name," Cheryl reminded "it's Rosie. I was named after my Nana."

"Cheryl Rose Blossom." Mickey gave her a small smile "I like it."

As the two redheads shared a silent glance, Mickey noticed something out of the corner of his eye: Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, standing suspiciously in front of the main staircase.

"Cheryl, will you excuse me for a second?" he asked politely. Mickey silently got up from his seat, glancing over his shoulder at the last Blossom twin. "For what it's worth, I would've come to your party," he told her "even if no one else wanted to." Mickey quickly hurried over to the stairs, catching up with Betty and Jughead right before they went up the stairs. "Hey. What are you guys doing?" he whispered.

"Going to search Jason's room," Betty replied. "Remember? We talked about it just the other day."

"You were serious about that? Bets, we're at his _funeral,"_ Mickey reminded sharply "and you want to turn his house into a crime scene?"

"Well, when you put like that, it sounds a little insensitive," Jughead commented.

Betty swatted his arm. "This was your idea. Mickey, I have to do this," she insisted "I need to know what to know what Jason was up to. And if it had anything to do with Polly trying to kill herself."

Mickey gave his friend a sympathetic look, letting out a deep sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to know what happened to Polly just as badly as she did. But tearing apart a dead kid's bedroom? "Bets, I can't go up there with you," he told her, earning a disappointed look from his friends "But I can keep an eye out," he offered "let you know if anyone's coming your way."

"Thank you," Betty replied giving him a grateful look.

As his childhood friends walked off, Mickey turned back toward the foyer, only to find that Cheryl had disappeared, her gift lying alone on her seat. Confused, Mickey walked over to the table and picked up the teddy bear, running his thumbs and across its soft plush fur. He knew the timing was lousy, but Cheryl loved these things. As he quickly scanned the foyer, he spotted a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, heading into one of the main guest rooms.

The blue-eyed twin walked over to the door Cheryl disappeared behind, where he saw an unexpected sight: Penelope Blossom pacing back and forth in the bedroom, an angry and outraged look on her face, while her daughter cowered in fear and sorrow on the edge of the bed.

"I hoped you enjoyed yourself," Penelope told Cheryl in a cold and spiteful voice "because as of now, there will be no more Rivervixens." The redheaded girl gasped as her mother forcefully grabbed her face, causing her lips to pucker slightly as Penelope snarled. "And if not for the fact that _no one_ would have you, I'd be shipping you off to a boarding school in Europe. Tonight."

Penelope scoffed as she ripped her hand from her daughter's face, leaving Cheryl alone in the guestroom as she cried.

At that moment, Mickey's blood started to boil. His heart started pounding. His eyes saw red. Enraged, Mickey marched into the guest room, causing Cheryl to look up from the pool of tears forming on the floor. "What's wrong with her?" he demanded "In what universe does she think it's okay to talk to you like that?"

"Mickey," the scarlet-haired girl sniffled as she spoke in sunken solemn voice "it's fine."

"No, it's not! You just lost your brother. She's your mother. She should be hugging you and helping you feel better," he insisted "Not threatening to banish you to Europe. Cheryl, you are the most amazing, confident, beautiful person I have met," Mickey proclaimed, "and anyone with the nerve to treat you like that on the day of your brother's funeral doesn't deserve to be in the same room as you!"

As Mickey continued to rant, Cheryl felt a familiar sensation in her stomach: the bustling of butterflies. Ever since July 4th, Cheryl had never felt more alone. Until Mickey came back. Time and time again, he was there for her at her lowest point. Like a fairy tale prince.

"I swear to God, if she wasn't your mother, I would-," Mickey's rant was cut off as Cheryl jumped out of her seat and grabbed his face with both hands, smashing her lips against his.

From the moment it began, Mickey knew that this kiss was unlike any kiss they shared before. There was a nervousness to it, a soft vulnerability that he never would've expected from the proud leader of the Rivervixens. As they slowly pulled away from each other, Mickey looked into Cheryl's eyes, her dark brown orbs full an anxious uncertainty. "What was that for?"

"Everything," Cheryl told him in a soft and grateful voice "for holding me at the pep rally. For taking my hand at the Drive-In. For clearing my brother's name," she listed off "for being the most kind and caring person I've ever met. Ever since I lost Jay-Jay, there's been this… darkness in my life," she described "sometimes it feels like it's eating me alive. And the only thing helps me get through it, the only thing that makes me safe, is you."

Mickey stared at Cheryl for a moment, the sincerity of her words surprising him. "You feel safe being with the Mad Dog?"

"I never saw a Mad Dog. All those fights you got into back in middle school, they were about protecting your brother. Because that's who you are," she insisted gently "Someone who fights to protect the people he cares about," Cheryl's voice softened as she added "like Jason."

Mickey was speechless. For her to say that, for her to put him in the same league as her brother, the Golden Boy of Riverdale, it meant more to him than words could say. "I always want you to feel safe around me," he whispered. The blue-eyed twin reached over and took her hand, gently playing with her fingers. "I'm glad that we're talking to each other."

Cheryl smiled softly for a moment, the pain and sorrow in her heart easing slightly as Mickey's eyes sparkled. Even now he was making her feel better. "Me too."

"By the way, you dropped this."

Cheryl let out a small chuckle as Mickey held her new teddy bear, his piercing blue eyes poking out just above its head.

"The little guy's really looking forward to get to know you," he said in a soft and playful voice "after all, he did fly all the way from Chicago to meet you."

Cheryl chuckled softly as she took the toy in her hands, looking down at its sweet face as she ran her thumbs across its fur. "I remember when I got my first teddy bear. I was six and I just had my tonsils taken out and Jason," Cheryl's voice trembled at the mention of her brother "he bought it to make me feel better." Cheryl felt the pain in her heart intensify "Mickey?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss my brother."

Mickey felt his heart break as he saw Cheryl's eyes swell up with tears. "I know." The blue-eyed twin gently took the redheaded girl into his arms as she cried, her tears dampening his shirt as she buried her face in his chest.

Cheryl took a shaky breath as Mickey hugged her, gently rubbing soft circles between her shoulders, the warmth of his caring embrace slowly mending her broken heart. "Do you think you could stay for the burial?" she whispered.

Mickey glanced down at her, a surprised look on the blue-eyed twin's face. "Really?"

Cheryl nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I don't want to be by myself."

"Okay," Mickey replied delicately "sure. Let me just clear things up with my dad." The blue-eyed twin slowly pulled away from the scarlet-haired girl, the two redheads sharing a parting smile as he walked out.

* * *

Hermione Lodge drifted silently across the foyer, making small talk with old friends, when she spotted an unexpected face: Fred Andrews making his way into lobby.

"Hey," Hermione smiled as she and the construction worked locked eyes "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"I had some work to finish up at the office," Fred explained "but I wanted to pay my respects," the construction worker paused nervously "Also, I realized something last night," he added, causing Hermione to tilt her head "That bookkeeping job you applied for, it's still open. No snakes," he promised "if you're interested-,"

"Yes," the New York socialite answered almost instantly "yes, yes!" Hermione Lodge laughed as she jumped into Fred's arms, grinning from ear to ear.

It had been many years since Fred Andrews had held Hermione like this. Truth be told, it almost felt like no time had passed. She still had the same smell. The same warmth.

"Dad."

The two parents quickly pulled away from each other, as the construction worker's son walked in on them.

"Mickey," Fred quickly cleared his throat as his son approached, trying to ignore the growing heat in his cheeks. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to know if I could stay for the burial." Mickey gave the two adults an awkward look. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Fred disputed quickly "No. Hermione and I were just talking about her new job with the company. I just gave her the bookkeeping position."

"Really?" Mickey gently tilted his head, a curious look in his eye at the sudden news. Two weeks ago, Fred made it clear that Hermione Lodge had no future with Andrews Construction. And now he was hiring her out of the blue? Just like that? That was when Mickey remembered. How the two of them went to the Drive-In together. How Hermione called Fred to take care of the snake. How they looked at each other the same way Archie and Veronica looked at each other.

Trying to act normal, Mickey forced a smile and offered up his hand to shake. "Welcome aboard, Mrs. Lodge."

* * *

Mickey stood with Cheryl on Thornhill's private burial ground, watching as Jason's coffin was lowered into the ground. "He didn't like me, did he?" Mickey asked, earning a confused look from Cheryl "Jason."

"He didn't hate you, if that's what you're thinking."

"But he didn't like me."

Cheryl pressed her lips together as she hesitated to answer. "It was your temper. Jason always saw himself as my protector. After Doiley-,"

"He was afraid I'd hurt you," Mickey finished. The blue-eyed twin reached over and took her hand. "That will never happen," he promised.

The redheaded girl gave him a small smile. "I know."

Mickey gave her an appreciative look as he glanced back at the newly filled grave, his thoughts going back to his history with Jason Blossom. They never got along, that was for sure. Especially once things started with Polly and Cheryl. But Mickey always respected his work ethic. Whether it was sports, schoolwork or student council, Jason always gave a hundred and ten percent. And yet, when he looked at Mickey, all Jason saw was a thug, a Mad Dog. Mickey's voice was barely a whisper. "I wanted to prove him wrong."

Cheryl gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You already have."

* * *

Archie sat in a booth at Pop's with Valerie later that afternoon, the brown-eyed twin venting over his music career. After bending over backwards for the past three days, Valerie's music tutor, Mr. Castillo, said that there was nothing he could do for Archie.

"What if Miss Grundy was lying? People lie all the time. Maybe she just didn't want to hurt my feelings," he theorized "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Castillo doesn't think I have what it takes."

"Miss Grundy thought you were good," Valerie reminded "and you believed it. Now Castillo says you're bad and you think you're bad?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Who wouldn't? What, you want me to wallow with you?" Valerie assumed "Sorry, I just don't have the time."

"You have a band backing you Val," Archie reminded "It's not that easy for me."

"And you think it's easy for us? Archie, it's hard," Valerie confirmed "it's almost impossible. But just tell me one thing: Who's saying you can't do your music?" she questioned "Your coach? Mr. Castillo? Your dad? Your brother? Or is it just you?"

Archie sighed as he watched Valerie walk away, his heart and mind racked with pain and uncertainty. She was right. Deep down, Archie was afraid to pursue his music again. Every time he played a note, he was reminded of a woman he loved and how they both loved music. And how she had walked out of his life. He couldn't follow music because it hurt too much. But he couldn't give his all to football because his heart wasn't in it. He was lost. More lost than he had ever been before. Desperate for council, the brown-eyed reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, only to draw a blank when it came time to decide who to call.

His first instinct was to call Betty, but with all she was going through with the Jason Blossom investigation and Polly, the girl next door had more than enough on her plate. And since Jughead was helping here, that meant calling both of his best friends was out. He thought about Veronica and how she offered to be there for him, but she had just spent the weekend helping Cheryl grieve. Fred had gone back to the office and Mickey was still at the memorial. At that moment, Archie found himself staring at a number he had not called in a long time: _Mom._

Archie felt a jolt of pain in his chest. It had been a long time since he had talked to his mother. Months in fact. Truth be told, he actually felt tempted to call her. But after all this time, after so many desperate attempts to reach his mother, only to be sent straight to voicemail… Archie just couldn't go through that again. But then he remembered what brother told him: _"she's trying to do better."_ Mickey was the angriest when Mary left, and now they talked on the phone almost every day.

Archie couldn't really remember when he dialed Mary's number, or how many times the phone rang. All he knew was that when he heard her voice, his heart started beating again. _"Hello?"_

"Mom?" Archie's voice was like that of a small child. "It's me. Archie."

" _Archie."_ For a moment, there was silence. _"Hi honey,"_ Mary greeted in a surprised tone _"It's good to hear from you."_

"It's nice to hear your voice too," Archie told her, in a trembling tone.

" _Honey, are you alright?"_ Mary asked in a motherly tone _"you sound sad."_

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Archie assured her, a lump forming in his throat "actually, this hasn't been the best week for me."

" _Do you want to talk about it?"_ Mary offered.

Archie blinked rapidly as his eyes started to sting, touched by his mother's concern. "D-don't you have to get work?"

" _It_ _can wait. This is more important,"_ Mary insisted _"You are more important."_

Archie smiled briefly as he took a shaky breath, fighting to keep the tears from falling down his face. "Over the summer, I uh, I started writing songs," he began "like Grandpa. I even got a girlfriend too. She was the first person to really support my music. She…moved away last week," Archie went on "I haven't really been able to focus on my music since. Everybody thinks that it's because my music reminds me of this girl. But the truth is… I can't focus on my music because it reminds me of you," he revealed "every time I pick my guitar, I remember all the things we used to do when you were still here. Listening to Grandpa's old records, watching old musicals with Frank Sinatra and Clark Gabel," he listed off "those homemade lullabies you used to sing." Archie chocked back a sob as he croaked out "I miss you, Mom."

" _Oh honey,"_ Archie could practically hear his mother crying through the phone _"I miss you too. And I know that things have been hard, I certainly haven't made it any easier,"_ she admitted _"But I need you to know that I am always here for you,"_ Mary promised _"I love you."_

Archie managed the briefest of smiles, a single streaming down his cheek. "I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Mickey walked into the office of the school later that afternoon, dressed in a simple grey t-shirt, blue jeans, white Adidas sneakers, and his bomber jacket, where he found Betty and Jughead in the office of the Blue & Gold.

"Hey, I got your text," Mickey greeted, noticing the solemn faces on his friends "What's going on?"

Betty stayed silent for a moment, a nervous and shaky look on her face as she revealed. "Jason and Polly were engaged."

Mickey felt a familiar pit swallow his stomach. "W-Who told you that?"

"Nana Blossom," Jughead replied "and Mr. Cooper confirmed it. Jason must've been selling drugs, so they could elope and start a nest egg."

"I just can't believe it," Betty's eyes drifted down to her phone, staring at a picture from the last time the Coopers sister were together, smiling sweetly as they shared a milkshake at Pop's. "Why wouldn't Polly tell me about this?"

Mickey felt as though a knife was being twisted in his heart. "Did uh, did your dad tell you anything else about Jason and Polly?"

"All he said was that Jason made her sick," Betty recited "I'm going to find her guys," she vowed "I'm going to find my sister. No matter what it takes."

As Betty and Jughead added their new information to the wall of evidence, Mickey struggled to keep his guilt and fear in check. Sooner or later, Betty was going to find out the truth about Polly. And the role that he played.

* * *

 _It was last June. And Mickey was still settling in to his life in Chicago._

 _It wasn't going well. Even though all the coaches were impressed by his skills, Mickey was still having trouble making friends at camp and Mary still worked crazy hours._

 _The blue-eyed twin sat alone in his mother's upscale apartment downtown, watching TV in the living room on her leather sofa, dressed in a dark blue Riverdale sweatshirt and a pair of olive green shorts. Mickey glanced down at his phone as he got a text from his mother, telling him that she would be running late from work. Again._

 _Mickey scoffed. Typical. Even when they shared an apartment, Mary didn't have time for her son. As the blue-eyed twin began to brood, Mickey got an unexpected call from an old friend: Polly Cooper. Mickey was surprised. He and Polly hadn't spoken over a week. Not since that big fight over Jason and his drugs. "Hello?"_

"Mickey? It's me."

" _Polly. Hey," he greeted nervously "It's been a while."_

"Sure has."

" _Look, I just want to say I'm really sorry," Mickey apologized quickly. "What happens between you and Jason is your business and I shouldn't have butted in."_

"I know. And I forgive you," _Polly told him_ "and I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. I just… haven't been myself lately."

" _You seem okay now," Mickey commented._

"I'm better than okay," _Polly responded, her voice bubbling with child-like joy_ "I'm…wonderful. I've never been so happy in my life."

" _That's pretty happy," Mickey chuckled "I'm guessing this has something to do with Jason?"_

"How'd you know?"

" _Because I've never seen anything make you as happy as he does," he answered "So what is it? Your five-month anniversary or something?"_

"Promise not to tell anybody?" _Polly requested, her voice bursting with excitement_ "We're getting married."


	6. Chapter 6: Faster Pussycats! Kill! Killi

Mickey Andrews was not having a good day. First, he forgot to charge his phone last night, so his alarm didn't go off. Then, Archie used up half the hot water, so Mickey's shower was lukewarm at best. And now, he couldn't find a pair of socks to save his life. Even though he _knew_ he did a load of laundry just yesterday.

"Mickey!" Archie called from downstairs "hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" the blue-eyed twin sighed as he continued to tear apart his room, when his father walked in.

"Mickey-,"

"Dad, I know I'm running late," he acknowledged "I promise I'll be ready to go just a soon as I find-aha!" Mickey grinned triumphantly as he held up a small ball of cloth "socks! Finally."

As his son quickly finished getting dressed, Fred took the time to reveal "Cheryl Blossom is here."

"What?" Shocked by this sudden information, Mickey tripped on a baseball as he shot up from the edge of his bed, falling flat on his back. The blue-eyed twin groaned as he looked up at his father. "Cheryl's here?"

Fred nodded, suppressing a chuckle. "She says she's here to see you."

The blue-eyed twin quickly finished getting dressed and hurried down the stairs, dressed in a white t-shirt, a brown leather jacket, light wash jeans and white Adidas sneakers, where he saw a sight he could barely believe.

Cheryl sat in the living room with Archie, the redheaded girl dressed in a long-sleeved black crop top, a bright red skirt, and knee high black leather boots. Playing with the Andrews family dog, Vegas. The Labrador Retriever barked happily Cheryl scratched behind his ears, wagging his tail vigorously as she coed. "Who's a good doggie? Who's a good doggie?" Cheryl laughed as Vegas attempted to climb into her lap, lovingly licking her face. "You are. Yes, you are."

Mickey smiled, the sight of the girl of his dreams playing wit his dog warming his heart. "Cheryl."

The scarlet-haired bombshell rose her feet, giving the blue-eyed twin a flirty smile. "There you are. I've been waiting for you."

"I've heard. What are you doing here?" Mickey asked.

"I thought I'd give my new boyfriend a ride to school."

Mickey's eyes widened. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest. His face broke into a massive grin.

"Boyfriend?" Fred crossed his arms, giving his son a teasing look "When did this happen?"

"Recently." Mickey's face turned red as Cheryl linked her arm with his, resting her head on his shoulder "Very recently. Well, we'd better be going. Don't want to be late for school."

"Do you think you could bring Archie?" Fred asked, "He's auditioning for the Variety show today."

Mickey cringed at his father's request, giving his brother a desperate look.

"Uh," Archie's brain drew a blank "I mean, if-if it's not too much trouble,"

"Not at all," Cheryl replied, earning a surprised look from the Andrews brothers "Mickey's family loyalty is one of the many things I adore about him." As if to prove a point, Cheryl gave Mickey a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the blue-eyed twin to suddenly become light-headed.

As the three redheads made their way to the door, Vegas quickly followed them, the family dog letting out a whimper as he nuzzled Cheryl's knee.

The redhead girl bent down in front of him, gently rubbing the dog's cheeks as she placed a kiss on his head. "Bye-Bye, Vegas. Maybe next time I'll have some treats for you."

As Archie and Cheryl walked out, Mickey reached down and scratched his dog behind the ears. "I'll see if she has a doggie friend for you, bud."

As the blue-eyed twin walked out of the house, Archie came over and whispered. "I didn't know Cheryl was your girlfriend."

"Neither did I."

* * *

"What do you mean you didn't know she was your girlfriend?"

Archie and Mickey walked side by side on their way to the auditorium, the two of them trying to unravel the mystery of Cheryl's unexpected visit.

"At the memorial, Cheryl and I had a moment," Mickey explained "We've been texting all weekend. Really talking. But I never asked her to be my girlfriend because I thought it was too soon."

"Looks like Cheryl doesn't think so," Archie commented "So what are you going to do?"

"Talk to her. Try to figure this whole thing out," Mickey and his brother came to a stop as they stood in front of the auditorium doors. "You ready?"

Archie sighed, his heart beating a few ticks faster. "As I'll ever be."

* * *

Archie stood on the school stage not later that morning, his heart beating rapidly as he prepared to audition for the annual Riverdale High Variety show. "I'll uh, I-I'm going to be auditioning with an original song," the brown-eyed twin managed in a nervous tone "that I wrote. It's called _I'll Try._ "

"Try harder," Reggie heckled, the varsity football captain sitting in the back end of the crowd, along with Moose and a handful of the Bulldogs. "and try not sucking so much while you're at it."

Archie took in a nervous breath as he looked out over the crowd, spotting a series of familiar faces: Mickey, Veronica, Josie, Reggie and Kevin, who was judging the auditions. As Archie's eyes drifted back to his teammates, their faces began to transform, morphing into a pack of hungry wolves. Archie's face turned stark white. His hands trembled as he struggled to hold his guitar. His eyes blinked rapidly as his mind raced back to when he was ten years old, the last time he experienced true terror.

Without another word, the brown-eyed twin bolted off the stage as he struggled to breathe, not stopping until he was alone in the halls, his lungs screaming for air as his heart attempted to punch its way out of his chest.

"Archie?" Mickey found his brother alone in the halls, sinking down to he knees as he rested his head against the lockers. The blue-eyed walked over and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Archie's voice was barely a whisper, his face beet red and covered in sweat. "Wildogs."

Mickey sat with Archie as he struggled to calm down, unaware that Veronica Lodge was watching the whole thing.

* * *

"I don't know what happened," Archie sat in the halls with Mickey and Valerie, the brown-eyed twin struggling to describe what happened to him during the audition. "When I was up there… I just froze."

"It's called stage freight, Archie," Valerie explained with a chuckle "happens to the best of us."

"That doesn't make any sense. When I play football, the stands can be packed," he emphasized "and I play just fine."

"Singing makes you more vulnerable than playing football."

Archie's eyes lit up as he got an idea. "Or maybe I just needed a team around me."

"I'm not doing a twin act," Mickey stated firmly.

"No one's asking you to do a twin act," Archie chuckled. "Can I talk to Val for a sec?"

Mickey gave the two young singers a curious look. "Sure." The blue-eyed patted his brother's shoulder as he rose to his feet, making his way to class when he heard a familiar voice.

"Mickey."

The young baseball player turned around as Veronica Lodge caught up with him, a concerned look on her face. "Is Archie alright?"

"Yeah. He's going to be fine," he assured her "he just got a bad case of stage freight."

Veronica nodded, a nervous expression spreading across her face as she asked. "Who are the Wild Dogs?"

Mickey's face turned grim at the New York Native's question, his mind traveling back to a dark moment of his childhood. "Who told you about that?"

"I heard Archie say it when he left the auditorium," she answered, "so who are they?"

Mickey sighed. "When we were kids, the football team used to do this haunted house every Halloween," he began "called the Wild Dogs' den. When we were ten, we decided to try it out for ourselves. We got the gang together, did a quick round of trick-or-treating, and headed over to the high school. Where we were locked in the auditorium with a bunch of football players dressed as werewolves foaming at the mouth."

"Oh my God," Veronica scrunched up her face in disgust. "What kind of psycho would do that to a bunch of kids?"

"Reggie's brother Oliver," Mickey answered "anyway, Archie was pretty shaken up. He and Jughead snuck into a monster movie marathon at the Drive-In earlier that day, so they were already on edge. Poor guy barely slept for a week."

"You think that's why he freaked out this morning?"

"Probably. The Bulldogs did set it up in the auditorium," he remembered "and Reggie was messing with him during his-," Mickey's voice trailed off as he spotted a familiar face among the crowd: Cheryl Blossom. Mickey's heart skipped a beat as the two redheads locked eyes, the scarlet bombshell giving him a wave and a smile. "I'll see you at lunch, New York," he told Veronica. The blue-eyed twin took a second to admire the Queen Bee of Riverdale's beauty as he crossed the hall, the natural sunlight from the windows turning her long fiery locks into a waterfall of shimmering copper. "Cheryl."

The redheaded girl looked away from her friends and grinned. "Mickey."

The young baseball player felt his heart race as Cheryl threw her arms around him, giving him a warm hug as she quickly kissed his cheek. "Can we talk?" Mickey asked. Cheryl nodded, the two of them walking over to Mickey's locker as he asked. "Since when am I your boyfriend?"

Cheryl's smile faded away, a hurt and confused expression spreading across her face. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"You know it is," Mickey told her sincerely. "But you just showed up at my house and claimed me. If you wanted me to be your boyfriend, why didn't you just ask me."

"Because I was scared," she revealed, earning a confused look from Mickey. "I like you Mickey. A lot. You were my first crush. But you have made obvious that you don't want to take any big steps until I come to peace with losing Jason. And as sweet and thoughtful as that is," she complimented "I don't know if that day will ever come. What I do know, is how I feel about you," she went on "all those things you talked about, milkshakes at Pop's, going to Homecoming, I want to do all those things with you. But I was afraid to tell you" she admitted "so, I acted like I already had."

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, a small smirk spreading across his lips. "I was your first crush?"

Cheryl smiled, a faint warmness spreading across her cheeks. "Yes. You were."

Mickey smiled, his pale blue eyes sparkling as he took Cheryl's hand in his. "You were my first crush too."

"I know. So," Cheryl paused nervously as she asked, "do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Mickey grinned. "Nothing would make me happier," he whispered.

Cheryl let out an anxious breath, her dark brown orbs shining brightly as a she grinned from ear to ear.

"So, now that the formalities are out of the way, how would you like to go on a date with me Friday night?" Mickey asked.

"I'd love too."

Mickey ran a hand through Cheryl's hair as the two of them stood less than a foot away from each other, jumping in surprise as the warning bell rang, letting the students know that they only a had a minute left to get to class. Mickey sighed. "We better get going." The blue-eyed twin reluctantly pulled away from Queen Bee of Rverdale High, only to stop a second later. Without a moment's notice, the blue-eyed twin spun around on his heels, closing the gap between him and Cheryl as he placed a hand on her cheek, giving her an unexpected kiss.

It was gentle kiss, soft and delicate, filled Mickey's long-lasting desire to be with the sole surviving Blossom twin.

Cheryl felt her cheeks turn red as Mickey pulled away, her stomach bustling with butterflies as she blushed. "What was that for?"

Mickey shrugged. "I just wanted to kiss my girlfriend."

* * *

Mickey sat with Archie in the courtyard at lunch, the Andrews brothers sitting side by side with Valerie, while Betty and Jughead sat on the other side of the table, the girl next door and the aspiring writer huddled together as they spoke in hushed tones.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Anything we can do the help?" Archie offered.

"We're working on a stealth operation here guys," Jughead informed "we bring in the whole Scooby gang, we're done for."

"Besides Archie, don't you have to rehearse for the Variety show?" Betty reminded.

"Actually," Archie gave his friends a nervous look "I don't."

"Actually, you do."

Veronica and Kevin walked over and sat down next to friends, the New York native sitting next to the brown-eyed twin. "I had a talk with out director-slash-host, and reminded him that he's heard you sing on numerous occasions."

"Even though it goes against my artistic integrity," Kevin commented sourly.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "My point is, there's a spot for you in the show if you want it."

"Veronica, thank you," Archie replied in a deeply grateful tone "but, you saw what happened at my audition. Singing in front of you guys is one thing. But getting back on that stage, in front of all those people…," the brown-eyed paused as the thought made him sick to his stomach. "I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"If it's a partner you're look for, Veronica Lodge is willing and able," she offered.

"Veronica," Betty gave her best friend a surprised look "I didn't know you could sing."

"Like a nightingale. What do you say, Archiekins?" the raven-haired princess gave the brown-eyed twin a teasing smile "Be the Jae to my Bae?"

Archie bit his bottom lip as he and Veronica shared a silent look, a massive grin spreading across his face as his heart skipped a beat. "Okay. Okay, let's do it." As the two of them began planning what to sing, Archie spotted a familiar sight: Cheryl Blossom. "Mick." Archie drew his brother's attention to the Queen Bee of Riverdale, walking straight towards them.

Mickey smiled as his girlfriend walked over, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her. The blue-eyed twin and casually walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on her waist as Cheryl draped her arms around his neck, the two of them sharing a heated kiss.

Betty and Kevin's jaws went slack. Veronica's eyes widened. Jughead and Valerie raised an eyebrow. Archie just smiled.

Mickey felt his head start spinning as he and Cheryl pulled away from him, a massive grin on his face. "What was that for?"

"Just because," Cheryl replied in a playful voice "I missed you."

"Missed me?" Mickey chuckled "You just saw this morning."

"That was forever ago," Cheryl pouted, playing with the collar of Mickey's jacket.

"Oh my God," Kevin whispered.

Veronica watched the two redheads held each other in their arms, a blissful and dreamy look on Cheryl's face. "Are they-?"

"Yep," Archie confirmed.

Betty's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Since when?"

"This morning," Archie watched as his bother gently rocked Cheryl back and forth, a warm, content smile on his face. He had never seen Mickey so happy.

"Do you want to have lunch with us?" Mickey offered. "We can make room."

"I already made plans with Tina and Ginger. Maybe some other time," Cheryl gave her boyfriend a quick kiss as she walked off, a waving over her shoulder as she called out. "Bye, Teddy Bear."

Mickey cringed at the sound of his middle name, giving his friends a warning look. "Not. A. Word." The short-tempered ginger ground his teeth as his friends burst into laughter, his face turning bright red. "This is why I have anger issues."

"Wait, wait, wait." Veronica gasped between giggles "How does one go from Baby Boo to Teddy Bear?"

"It's his middle name." Archie laughed.

"What?" Veronica's eyes widened "Your parents named you Mickey Teddy Andrews? No wonder you got into fights as a kid."

Mickey glared at his brother, the brown-eyed twin continuing to laugh as he shot back "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Archibald Leopold."

Archie's face turned red as his brother revealed his full name, causing Betty and Valerie to laugh harder.

"Leopold's not so bad," Veronica told him "You could always go by Leo."

"Archie Leo Andrews," the brown-eyed twin smiled "Has a nice ring to it."

"And you," Mickey jabbed a finger Jughead Jones as he continued to laugh "You of all people shouldn't be laughing people's names," he warned "Veronica Lodge, allow me to introduce Forsythe Pembolton the Third."

The young novelist cringed as Mickey revealed his true name, his face turning bright red as he as his friends laughed. "I hate people."

* * *

"Bets, wait up."

The blonde-haired girl turned around as Mickey called out to her, the blue-eyed twin catching up to her in the halls.

"I know you and Jughead are up to something," he whispered, "what's going on?"

Betty stayed silent for a moment, a nervous expression spreading across her face as she revealed. "We're going to see Polly."

Mickey's heart stopped. "You know where she is?"

Betty nodded. "The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. It's a group home upstate. Jughead and I are going there tomorrow after school. Want to come with us?" she offered. "I know Jughead said we should keep it small, but you're Polly are best friends."

Mickey's face turned stark white. He wanted to see Polly, he truly did, but the thought of seeing his best friend in the state her parents had described, battling a broken heart and mind….it made him sick to his stomach. "I-I have to help my dad at the construction site," he managed, desperate for a legitimate excuse "We're trying to get the Mayor to give us the SoDale project."

Betty gave her friend a sympathetic smile as she saw the conflicted look on his face. "It's okay, Mickey. I'm sure Polly will understand." The blonde-haired girl gently placed a hand on his shoulder "I'll tell her you said hi."

"Thanks," Mickey responded, the ever-growing guilt in his heart making him sick. "Betty? Don't get your hopes up," he warned, earning a confused look from the young reporter "your parents sent Polly away for a reason. The sister you remember might not be the one you find."

* * *

Mickey walked to wok later that day, dressed in a light wash denim shirt, dark jeans and tan work boots, a bright yellow hard hat on his head and a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder.

"Mickey."

The blue-eyed twin turned around as he heard a familiar voice, smiling as he saw Veronica Lodge walking towards him.

"What's with the plant?" he asked, giving the New York native a curious look as he spotted the flower in her hands.

"It's for my mom," she explained "to celebrate her first day at her new job. It's not kike this place has the best view."

Mickey chuckled. "Yeah well, construction sites generally look better after the job's-," the blue-eyed twin's voice trailed off as he and Veronica came upon the main trailer at the site, where they saw a sight they could hardly believe: Fred Andrews and Hermione Lodge. Kissing.

* * *

"What do you mean they were kissing?"

Archie sat with Mickey in their room that evening, discussing the mind-blowing display the blue-eyed twin had witnessed. Mickey cashed in a favor at work and managed to get off early, desperate to inform Archie on what he and Veronica and seen.

The blue-eyed twin gave his brother a look. "What do you think I meant? When I say they were kissing, I mean they were kissing."

I mean, what kind of kiss was it?" Archie clarified "was it like, a peck on the cheek?"

"No. More like what you and Veronica were up to during Seven Minutes in Heaven."

"Ugh," Archie forced down a gag "I think I'm going to sick."

"Who do you think I feel?" Mickey shuddered "Me and New York are the ones who had to watch it."

"I just can't believe it," the brown-eyed twin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair "I mean it's not Mom is seeing other people." Archie frowned as he saw the nervous expression on his brother's face "Right?"

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, an uncomfortable look on his face as he revealed. "His name's Marcus. He's a Chicago defense attorney and they've been going out for-,"

"Stop," Archie begged, falling back on his bed "before my head explodes."

Mickey knew how he felt. When he first met Marcus, Mickey felt like the floor had been ripped out from under him. "Archie, it's been two years." He reminded "Not two weeks, not two months, two _years._ We both knew this was only a matter of time."

"I know," Archie sighed as he picked up his guitar, softly strumming a set of chords. "I just, I wanted to believe that our family might be back together again someday."

Mickey gave his brother a sympathetic look. "Me too."

The Andrews brothers looked up as they heard a knock at the door, where Fred nervously stood in the doorway of his sons' room.

"Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I bought tickets for all the guys at work," he informed Archie "so they could hear you sing at the Variety Show."

Archie felt his heart begin to race. Just what he needed. More pressure.

"Me and Hermione…we're, uh, we're going together. With each other."

Archie smiled at the flustered look on his father's face, the usually stoic Fred Andrews now like a teenager going through high school crush. "Dad, it's okay," Archie told him, earning a surprised look from Mickey "You're good. I'm…. good."

"What about you, Mickey?" Fred asked "Are you alright with all this?"

Mickey paused. "Can we talk downstairs?"

* * *

Mickey followed his father downstairs, an uneasy look on the blue-eyed twin's face. "Dad, I want you to be happy," he acknowledged "I want you to find someone special. But dating Mrs. Lodge… that doesn't really seem like easing back into things." She was his employee. Riverdale was a gossipy town, and people generally assumed the worst when a woman started dating her boss. She was a mother, starting a new chapter in her life with her daughter. And then there was her last relationship to consider. Unlike Fred and Mary, the Lodges weren't separated by choice. If Hiram Lodge found a way to escape jail-time, there was a good chance Mickey's father would end up heartbroken.

"I know son, believe me," Fred assured him "But being with Hermione makes the whole process of dating again feel easier."

Mickey tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Fred blushed bashfully before revealing. "We used to date back in high school."

"Really?" Mickey raised his eyebrows in surprise "What happened?"

"Hiram Lodge moved to town. I met your mother," Fred recapped "the rest is pretty much history." The construction worker furrowed his brow as Mickey started to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"It's genetics," Mickey chuckled "Archie and Veronica."

"Archie and-," Fred's eyes widened "Are they-?"

"Nothing official yet," Mickey informed "but I have seen some sparks."

"Well," Fred felt an amused smile tug at the corner of his lips. "My relationship with Hermione just got complicated."

"You mean more than it already was?"

"Seems like you're the only who knows a thing about girls," Fred chuckled. "How are things, by the way? With you and Cheryl?"

Mickey felt his lips slip into a smile. "Good. Really good. We're going on a date this Friday. Before the Variety Show." The blue-eyed twin blushed as he confessed "I like her, Dad. A lot."

"I know you do," Fred said with a smile. He'd been watching his son fall for the Blossom girl for years. He was glad to see things working between the two of them. "But Cheryl is going through a real big loss right now," he reminded "and chances are being her boyfriend means less time having fun and more time helping her grieve."

"I know. And I'm ready for it," Mickey stated firmly "if there is even a chance that I can make losing Jason a little easier for Cheryl, then I'll do whatever it takes. I'm ready."

Fred stared at his son for a moment, the blue-eyed twin looking less like a boy and more like a young man everyday. "Yeah. I think you are." Fred exhaled, a proud fire burning in his eyes "want to help me make dinner?"

"Sure."

Fred smiled as he and Mickey walked into the kitchen. "Guess it's a good thing Veronica doesn't have a sister, huh?"

"Wouldn't matter," Mickey insisted "I like redheads."

* * *

Mickey kissed Cheryl passionately the next morning, the two redheads caught in a heated make-out session before class.

After picking him up for school, Mickey had insisted on buying Cheryl coffee. Once they got to the Student Lounge, it took all five minutes before they were all over each other.

Cheryl kissed her boyfriend back with equal measure, running her hands through his hair as gently squeezed his waist.

After a moment of eternal bliss, the two redheads reluctantly pulled away from each other, their hearts racing as they took a much-needed breath.

"Just like old times," Cheryl panted, her lips dancing dangerously close to Mickey's as she smiled.

"The change of scenery's nice," he commented. The blue-eyed twin was dressed in a dark wash denim shirt the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, along with a pair of black jeans and white Adidas sneakers. Cheryl wore a burgundy red top, a jet black skirt and matching heels, her signature spider brooch pinned to her chest. Mickey smiled as he ran a hand through her hair, the scarlet bombshell sitting in his lap. "I was starting to think you didn't want to be seen in public with me, Rosie."

Cheryl felt her stomach bustle with butterflies as she blushed. "I like it when you call me Rosie," she admitted "Teddy Bear."

Mickey huffed. "I think we need to have a talk about this whole 'Teddy Bear' thing."

"Talk all you want," Cheryl permitted "it won't change a thing." The scarlet bombshell gave her boyfriend a seductive smile as she shifted in his lap, straddling his waist as she leaned in close, knowing how much Mickey loved the feeling of her legs wrapped around him. "I'm going to make the prize of my collection, Teddy Andrews," she whispered in a low husky voice "the teddy bear I shower with the most attention and affection."

"Hmm. When you put it like that," Mickey grinned as he kissed the middle of Cheryl's neck, the sensation causing her to bite her lip as she suppressed a moan. "Doesn't sound so bad."

"I thought you'd warm up to the idea," Cheryl commented, nibbling on his ear.

"Well, well, well."

Mickey and Cheryl sighed as they heard a familiar voice, looking up to see their best friends looking down at them.

Reggie Mantle gave Mickey his usual smile, the Varsity football captain dressed in a Letterman jacket, a dark blue polo shirt, jeans and high-top Nike sneakers. "It's about time."

"I'll say. Now, I am only going to say this once, Mickey Andrews" Josie pointed a threatening finger in the blue-eyed twin's face. "If you ever hurt girl Cheryl-,"

"Whoa, whoa. Easy, pretty kitty," Reggie interrupted "Mickey's been after Cheryl since the seventh grade. Do you really think he'd do anything to hurt her?"

"Not a chance," Mickey gently placed a hand on Cheryl's chin as he looked into her eyes, speaking to her in a soft, sincere voice. "I would never hurt you."

Cheryl just smiled. "I know."

Josie rolled her eyes as the two redheads went back to kissing. "Great. They're that couple."

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, causing the entire student lounge to jump.

"You Ginger Judas!"

All eyes fell on Veronica Lodge as she stood over Archie and Valerie, the New York native's eyes blazing with fury. "Archie Andrews, you have absolutely zero loyalty!"

"Veronica," the brown-eyed twin quickly rose to his feet, a calm yet questioning look in his eye as he stared at the raven-haired princess. "What is your problem?"

"My problem? Besides the fact that you have zero integrity," she insisted bitterly "is that your father _kissed_ my mother!"

Mickey cringed at Veronica's latest outburst, as half the student body began gossiping about his and Veronica's parents.

Reggie was stunned. "Dude."

Cheryl stared at her boyfriend in disbelief. "Hermione Lode is having an affair with your father?"

"Okay, whatever happened with our parents, my Dad made it out to be pretty mutual," Archie shot back defensively.

"They're married!" Veronica exclaimed "to other people!"

"My parents have been separated for the last two years," Archie reminded "and you're dad's-,"

"What?" Veronica gave the brown-eyed twin a challenging glare "what about my father?"

 _Don't do it, Archie._ Mickey thought to himself _Don't say what I think you're about to say._

"He's…incarcerated," the brown-eyed twin managed nervously "right?"

"That is NOT THE POINT!" Veronica shouted.

"Okay. I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it? We can go somewhere and talk about it," Archie offered "Or do you want your part back?" he asked, earning a look from Valerie.

"Oh, don't do me any favors Archie," Veronica scoffed. And without another word, she marched off.

Mickey sighed. "Well, that happened."

"I can't believe Mrs. Lodge is banging your dad," Reggie marveled "Do you think she'll leave Mr. Lodge for him? Do you think she'll move in? Do you think that'll keep Archie and Veronica from hooking up? Do you think you'll be the only in the house that isn't getting laid ever night?"

"Can we please change the subject?" Mickey begged, the thought of Fred and Archie simultaneously dating the Lodge women making his head spin. "Please?"

"Sure. How about we talk about where you're taking me on Friday night?" Cheryl suggested.

"Hold up," Josie gave the young baseball player a questioning glare "You mean he hasn't told you?"

"It's called a surprise, Josie," Mickey justified.

"But Mickey," Cheryl pouted as she ran her hands over his chest, giving her boyfriend an innocent, wide-eyed look. "how am I supposed to pick my outfit if I don't know where we're going?"

Mickey chuckled. "I'll give you a hint: Starlight."

"Starlight?"

Mickey nodded. "Friday night, it's going to just you and me, under the stars."

"Hmm," Cheryl smiled softly as she spoke in a low seductive voice "I hope I don't get cold."

"Don't you worry, Rosie," Mickey grinned at her mischievously, gently tightening his grip on her waist "I'll keep you nice and warm."

Josie groaned as the two redheads as started to kiss once again. "Am I going to have hose you two down?"

"Look on the bright side, superstar," Reggie advised "Now we can set up a double date."

The leader of the Pussycats gave the football player a questioning look. "Double date with who?"

Reggie gave the young singer a charismatic smile, draping an arm around her shoulders. "You and me, beautiful."

Josie rolled her eyes as she laughed. "In your dreams," she stated, stepping out of Reggie's grasp "Pussycats don't date Hound Dogs."

The leader of the Bulldogs grinned mischievously watching the mayor's daughter walk away. "Hound Dogs can be trained."

"Not you, Mantle," Josie called over her shoulder "You are a lost cause."

"Oh, come on, Beyoncé," Reggie pleaded, chasing after her "let me be your Jay-Z!"

"How does someone as sweet…and romantic as you…end up with Reggie Mantle as a best friend?" Cheryl asked between kisses.

"Opposites attract," Mickey chuckled "Contrary… to popular belief… Reggie's not as big of a player… as everybody thinks." The two redheads sighed as the first bell rang, their hearts racing as they gasped for breath. Mickey sighed. "We got to get to class."

"One last kiss." Cheryl grinned as she smashed her lips against his, their lungs crying out for air as they reluctantly pulled away.

Mickey stared at Cheryl for a moment, his pale blue orbs sparkling as he looked into her dark brown eyes. Every second he was with her, his heart wouldn't stop racing. She was the ultimate rush and the ultimate mystery. He wanted to know everything about her, her thoughts, her dreams, her deepest secrets. Soon, he would see the real Cheryl Blossom. Mickey smiled. "Friday can't get here fast enough."

* * *

Cheryl walked alone in the halls on her way to class, a single solitary thought speeding through her mind: Mickey Andrews.

Cheryl smiled, the very thought of the blue-eyed twin filling her stomach with bustling butterflies. He adored her. Looked at her like a prince from a fairy tale. She didn't know why, but he did. And it made her feel like-,

At that moment, the redheaded girl stopped as she heard a strange sound: a girl crying. Curious, the last Blossom twin followed the sound, where she saw an unexpected sight: Veronica Lodge in tears.

The New York native stood in front of the mirror in the girl's bathroom, a river of mascara-stained tears flowing her cheeks and pooling in the sink.

"Veronica?" Cheryl's voice caused the raven-haired girl to jump.

"Cheryl," Veronica quickly sniffled as she wiped her tears, forcing a weak smile. "Hi."

The redheaded girl tentatively approached the crying girl, tilting her head as she asked. "Is this about your parents?"

With that simple question, Veronica felt her façade crumble, her eyes quickly filling with tears. "How could she do it? How could my mother just-?"

Cheryl quickly ran over to Veronica's side, placing a hand on her shoulder as she sobbed. "What's your next class?" Cheryl asked.

"English," Veronica managed in a weak voice "room 502."

"Mr. Woodsworth's class. I'll be right back," Cheryl promised. The redheaded girl quickly left the bathroom and returned moments later, a kind and comforting look on her face. "Let's go somewhere more private where we can talk."

"What about class?"

"Mr. Woodsworth has three teenage daughters," Cheryl informed. "I told him you were having lady problems and he wrote us hall passes to go to see the nurse."

* * *

"I don't understand."

Veronica and Cheryl sat together alone in the bleachers, sipping on hot chocolate as they talked. Since the first gym class didn't start until third period, it meant that the two girls had plenty of privacy.

"My dad worships my mom," Veronica insisted "I've never seen him look at another woman. Back at New York, they had date nights every Friday. When we went for walks on Park Avenue, if she looked at anything for more than thirty seconds, dresses, shoes, jewelry anything, Daddy would buy it for her. No matter what the price. When the police dragged him away from dinner, the last thing I heard him say… was that he loved us," Veronica felt her voice start to tremble with that last statement, her eyes too drained to shed the tears her heart desperately desired. "How could she betray our family like this?"

Cheryl stayed silent, starring at the half empty cup in her hands as she struggled to find the right words to say. "Maybe it was just a onetime thing."

"That still doesn't make it right," Veronica protested in a quivering voice "When we left New York, when we lost everything, the only thing that got me through it was the belief that my father would come home, that one day, my family would be back together." The New York native felt a lump in her throat as she looked out at an empty football field "Sometimes I wish-,"

"That you could go back in time. To before this terrible thing happened, when you were young and had no idea how cruel the world could be?" Cheryl gave her a sympathetic look "I know the feeling."

Veronica felt selfish. At least her family wasn't grieving. "Thank you, Cheryl. For listening. I really do appreciate it."

"That what friends are for."

Veronica gave her a teasing smile. "So we're friends now?"

"Well, I won't tell if you won't."

The two of them laughed at that remark. True enough, Veronica and Cheryl were friends. Surprising given how they met.

"You know what you need?" Cheryl asked as they headed back to class "an outlet. That's what cheerleading was for me. Whenever I'm angry or frustrated, I did everything I could to get the routine right."

"That's why you were you hard on us at practice?"

Cheryl nodded. "I've had a lot to deal with ever since Jason," Cheryl's voice trailed off at the mention of her brother "Anyway, if that doesn't work, you could just let your mother catch you in a scandalous scene with Archie."

Veronica laughed. "Cheryl, you are wicked."

"You forgot gorgeous."

* * *

"You gave Valerie her part?"

Mickey and Archie stood by the lockers after class, the blue-eyed twin in shock from what his brother had just revealed. Apparently, Valerie had just left the Pussycats so she could sing with Archie in the Variety Show.

The brown-eyed twin sighed. "Why does everyone say that like I'm a bad guy?"

"You're not a bad guy," Mickey assured him "You're just clueless. Archie, Veronica's the one who got you into the Variety Show," he reminded "she offered to sing with you just to help with your stage fright."

"Yeah. And Valerie's the one who helped write _I Got You_ ," Archie added "Valerie's the one who's been helping me with songwriting technique. Valerie's the one who quit the Pussycats, a serious band with a real shot being discovered someday, just to sing with me. What was I supposed to do?" he asked, "Take away Valerie's last chance to perform in the show?"

"Okay, I get it," Mickey relented "you owe Valerie. But you owe Veronica too."

"I know. I know," the brown-eyed twin sighed "It's not like I don't why our parents kissing freaked her out. It did a number on me too. I just wish I knew what to do."

"You could ask her out," Mickey suggested "maybe relieve some of the sexual tension."

"What are you talking about?"

Mickey chuckled at the confused look on his brother's face. "Dude, you are so clueless. Every time she calls you Archiekins, you look like you're getting ready to pounce on her."

"I do not."

"Sure," Mickey rolled his eyes "Look, if you're going to patch things up with New York, you'd better do it quick. Before she loses her," the blue-eyed twin's voice trailed off he looked down the hall, his jaw dropping to the floor. "Oh boy."

"What?" Archie turned around to where his brother was facing, where he saw a sight that made his jaw drop: Veronica Lodge walking side by side with Josie McCoy and Melody Valentine, a pair of trademark Pussycat ears on her head.

Archie could hardly believe his eyes. Veronica had joined Josie and the Pussycats. Archie watched in awe as he the local girl band walk off to class, the brown-eyed twin's gaze locked on the raven-haired princess.

"Looks like Veronica took my advice."

Mickey and Archie whipped their heads around as Cheryl walked over, a proud smile on her face. "You told her to join the Pussycats?" Archie asked.

"I told her to find her to find an outlet for her aggression. And it looks like she found one," Cheryl smiled as she turned her attention to the blue-eyed twin, her dark brown orbs sparkling with affection "I'll see you tomorrow morning." And after giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek, she walked off.

Archie sighed as he and Mickey began the walk home, a weary look on the brown-eyed twin's face. "I could really use some brotherly words of advice right now, Mick."

"I've only got two: You're screwed."

* * *

Polly Cooper stood alone in the garden at the Sister's of Quiet Mercy, tending to the flowers as she always did during silent reflection, trying to remember just how long she'd been here.

Time seemed to stop here. Wearing the same clothes, being kept on a strict schedule, not being able to leave the house grounds, it made all the days just mesh together. The only measurement of time she had was her stomach, her active womb growing larger by the day. Looking at her swelling belly, feeling child grow bigger each day, it only made her more restless to become a mother. It also reminded her of Jason, and how deeply she missed him.

"Polly?"

The expecting mother's head popped up as she heard a familiar voice, one she had not heard in a very long time. Without a moment's hesitation, she whipped her head around and faced her guest, a massive grin spreading across her face at the sight of her little sister. "Betty!"

The young reporter laughed as her sister ran over and hugged her, holding onto her for dear life as Polly fought back a flood of joyous tears. "You found us."

"US?" Confused, Betty gently pulled away from her sister, her eyes widening in amazement as she Polly's pregnant stomach. Betty's voice was barely a whisper. "Polly," the younger Cooper sister tentatively reached out and touched her sister's stomach. "Jason's-?"

Polly nodded. "Please tell me you're happy for me."

"I am." Betty beamed as she gave her sister another hug. "I am, Polly. I'm going to be an aunt. I can't believe it." The high school journalist gave the mother-to-be an apologetic smile. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to see you."

"So, what did they tell you?" Polly asked, knowing all to well that her parents must've lied to get keep her sister from her "that I was on drugs? Alcohol?"

"They said that you were sick," Betty's eyes stayed locked on her sister stomach, gently rubbing the growing womb, hoping to feel the baby kick. "That you tried to hurt yourself."

"And they said you didn't want to see me," Polly added "Which I knew was a lie."

"So, they sent you here?' Betty glanced over their Gothic surroundings. "because Jason go you pregnant?"

"Because they couldn't control me, Betty."

The two Cooper sisters walked over and sat on a nearby bench as Polly explained how she came to be at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. "Mom and Dad hated that I was dating Jason. They were thrilled when he broke up with me. His parents made him do it," she explained "they would never approve of a Blossom dating a Cooper. But when I told him about the baby," the young mother grinned as she placed a hand on her stomach "our baby, he was so happy, Betty. We were going to run away together. Start a family in a beautiful place. Where no one would ever try to keep us apart again. So, on July 4th, I packed a bag and went downstairs to start my new life," she went on "just like Jason and I planned. We were going to meet on the other side of Sweetwater River," Polly's smile faded as the memories turned sour "But Mom and Dad found out. When I went downstairs, there was a woman sitting at the table drinking tea, with two men behind her," Polly's voice began to tremble as she continued "they threw me in the back of a van. I was screaming. I don't think I stopped screaming until I got her," Polly's voice became a heartbroken whisper as she revealed "Mom just let them take me."

"Oh my God." Betty reached over and took her sister hand, giving her a sympathetic look "How did know what you and Jason were planning?"

"I don't know. The only person I told was," Polly's voice trailed off as she questioned her response "No. No, that's impossible. He wouldn't do that to me," she muttered "Have you talked to him, Betty?" Polly asked. "Does he know I'm here?"

Betty gave her sister a confused look. "Who, Polly?"

"Jason," she answered obviously "He must be worried about me. If I give you a message, will you take it to him?"

Betty's heart began to break as she realized the truth. "Polly-,"

"What does he think happened?" Polly wondered aloud, getting up from her seat "He knows I'm in here because Mom and Dad, right?"

"Polly," Betty repeated "You don't understand."

"I can fix this, Betty," the mother to be insisted "I know I can. You can help me get out of here," she whispered intensely, an unsettling look in her eye as she began to talk faster and faster "and then I can meet him. I'll go the car on the old abandoned road off Route 40. 'Once you see the old Maple sign, you're almost there'" Polly recited "See? I remember. I'm packed. We're packed." She said, a wild and excited smile spreading across her lips "We'll go the farm, just like we planned and then everything-,"

"Polly!"

The oldest Cooper daughter jumped as her sister snapped at her, a shocked and confused look on her face. "What's the matter, Betty?" she asked at her sister's sorrow-filled expression "What's wrong?"

Betty stayed silent for a moment, a lump forming in her throat as she struggled to speak. "Jason…,"

"Did something happen to him?" Polly asked worriedly "something bad?"

Betty let out a sharp breath, her swelling with tears as struggled to say the words. "He's dead, Polly."

At that moment, Polly felt as if the sun had gone dark. "No. _No_." the mother to be clutched her stomach as her eyes burst into tears, letting out a wheezing sob as Betty held her in her arms. "He never got to see our baby."

"Young lady."

The Cooper girls turned around as an elderly nun spoke up, giving Betty a stern look. "Come with me. Now."

* * *

Hermione Lodge sat nervously in main trailer of Andrews' Construction that afternoon, anxiously wringing her hands as she waited for her boss to return. She had been meaning to speak to Fred all day, but every time the opportunity came up, she froze.

At that moment, the construction worker walked in, wiping the sweat from his brow as he removed his hard hat from his head. The single father gave Hermione a pleasant smile. "Hey."

"Hey," she greeted "Can we talk?"

Fred straightened up at the serious tone in her voice. "Okay."

"I like you, Fred," Hermione admitted "I really do. But I have a daughter to think about," she reminded "Veronica saw us last yesterday."

"I know," Fred commented, earning a surprised look from Hermione "so did Mickey. We talked about it last night."

"Veronica has already lost much since we left New York," Hermione emphasized "I don't want to make her transition here any harder than it already is."

"So, what are you saying?" Fred asked, "That's it's over?"

"I'm saying that we need to take things slow," she clarified "for the kids."

"I agree," Fred glanced out of the window of the trailer, watching Mickey as he helped put up a wall on their latest project. "My boys are my world."

"He's working very hard," Hermione praised, placing a hand on Fred's shoulder "gets that from his father."

"As much as I'd love to take credit, that," Fred smiled as he pointed a finger at his son through the window "is a young man working to impress a girl," the small business owner chuckled as he walked over and got himself a cup of coffee. "He's got a date with Cheryl Blossom this weekend. A girl like that requires serious money."

Hermione tilted her head, giving him a teasing expression. "And how would you know that?"

"I dated you, didn't I?"

As Hermione prepared a comeback, Mickey poked his head in through the trailer door, his face red and glazed with sweat. "Dad? Vince said he needs to talk to you. Says we don't have enough lumber for the west wall.

Fred sighed. "I'll be right out." The small-time business owner put his hat on and walked out, leaving his son alone with Hermione Lodge.

The blue-eyed twin shifted weight nervously. "Mrs. Lodge? Can we talk?"

The New York socialite smiled. "Of course, Mickey."

"I know that there's something going on between you and my dad," he began "I also know that you and Mr. Lodge aren't separated the same reason my parents are. If you're truly serious about my father, then I wish you two the best. But," Mickey's face became surprisingly stern, a protective fire burning in his pale blue eyes. "If this is just some fling for you, if you're just looking for someone to keep you company until your husband comes back-,"

"Stop," Hermione interrupted "Mickey, your father is very important to me. I've known him for a very long time, and right now, he's probably the only friend I have in Riverdale. And I can assure you," she emphasized "that I have no intention of hurting him."

Mickey stared at Hermione for a moment, silently verifying the validity of her words. For whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to trust Veronica's mother. Not fully. But he did believe that she cared about Fred.

* * *

"How about this one?"

Cheryl stood with Veronica and Josie in a private dressing room at Macys', desperately trying to find a dress for her date with Mickey. After rehearsal with the Pussycats, the Queen Been of Riverdale High begged her friends to help her pick an outfit for her date, promising them fine classy Hors D'oeuvres and each of them a dress of their choosing.

The redheaded girl walked out from behind the changing curtain, wearing a dark green sleeveless dress with a low circular neck.

Josie pursed her lips. "Too much cleavage."

"Maybe we should try a different color," Veronica suggested looking over the rejected dresses. "I thought red was your thing."

"Mickey loves green," Cheryl explained from behind the curtain "After he won his first playoff game, I surprised with a forest green corset, and then we-,"

"Stop," Josie interrupted holding up her hand "TMI, girlfriend. TMI."

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Are you guys ready for Variety show on Friday?" she asked.

"Think so," the leader of the Pussycats gave the New York native a warm smile "our newest cat's a quick study."

"I am to please," Veronica frowned as Cheryl came out in a short sleeve green dress with a black lace pattern. "Too lacy."

"Do me a favor," Josie asked, taking a sip of her sparkling cider "tell your boyfriend to keep his dog on leash," the young singer shuddered "the last thing I need is Reggie Mantle following me home."

"From what I hear, Reggie might have some genuine feelings for you," Cheryl teased behind the curtain.

"Please," the leader of the Pussycats rolled her eyes "the only thing Mantle cares about is getting laid. and I not about to be one of another one of his conquests. Too bad there's not three of those Andrews boys, huh rich girl?"

Veronica huffed. "For the hundredth time, there is nothing going on between me and Archie."

Josie laughed. "Girl, please."

"I told you she was in denial," Cheryl called as she continued to get changed.

"Look, even if I was interested in Archie, and I'm not saying I am," Veronica emphasized "I doubt he'd even talk to me after how I blew at him in the Student Lounge."

"Patience, Veronica," Cheryl advised "just let the heat from your parents' little affair die down and I'm sure your Archiekins will come running back sooner or later."

"Sooner, preferably," Josie commented "that boy has a hold on Val ever since he bulked up."

"Wait." Veronica shot up from her seat as Cheryl once again stepped out from behind the curtain, wearing a shoulderless, long-sleeved dress made of the softest velvet. "It's perfect."

* * *

Betty sat in her room with Alice and Hal that night, her parents less than happy with her and Jughead's trip to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

"Polly needed to hear the her the truth," the young reporter justified "and I did too."

"So, did you find what you were looking for?" Hal questioned.

"Honestly Dad, no," Betty admitted "I didn't. You hate the Blossoms _so much,_ " she emphasized "You hated the fact that Jason and Polly were dating. And know Polly is pregnant with his baby," the girl next door's heart broke slightly as she added "that gives you a motive."

"A motive," Hal repeated with a patronizing chuckled "for what?"

Betty silent for a moment, wringing her hands together has she fought to get the words out. "On the last night of the Drive-In… someone broke into Sheriff Keller's office and stole all the evidence on the Jason Blossom case. You weren't at the Drive-In," Betty reminded Hal "You weren't with me and Mom at the school. You have no alibi."

"What are talking about? Alibis, motives? Betty," Hal gave his daughter a concerned look "What do you think I did?"

Betty's heart pounded against her chest, her soft green eyes swelling with tears as she croaked out. "Did you kill Jason Blossom?"

Hal Cooper gave her a shocked look, his heart breaking at his daughter's accusation. "How could you ask me a thing like that?"

Alice just laughed. "Him? You think your father killed Jason?" she repeated "You think he has the stomach for that? I wish he had killed Jason. I wish _I_ had," Alice confessed. "I swear Elizabeth, you sound as crazy as Polly."

"Stop it!" Betty snapped, rising up from her bed, a protective glare in her eyes "Stop saying that Mom. She's not crazy!"

"Yes, she is, Betty," Hal disputed gently "she is depressed and delusional. Did you honestly believe that story of hers?" he asked "about running off to Neverland and raising a family. That's a fantasy, Betty."

Betty gave her parents a defiant look. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to," Alice responded in a cold, cruel voice "We're your parents."

"Mom." Alice paused as her daughter called out to her, a single question racing through her mind as she asked. "How did you know that Jason and Polly were leaving town?"

Alice's response simple and cryptic. "I had help."

* * *

Mickey stood with his family at the Lodge family living room that night, dressed in a blue and white flannel shirt, tucked into a dark pair of jeans, a brown leather belt and brown oxfords. He, Fred and Archie were hosting the Mayor's family with the help of Hermione, trying to convince Mrs. McCoy to give them the contract for the Drive-In land development.

"In conclusion, giving the contract to Andrews Construction will provide more jobs for my, our crew," Fred corrected, giving Mickey a smile "will stimulate the local economy."

"This new purchase of the Drive-In land is a great opportunity for Riverdale," Mickey chimed in "giving the construction contract to a Riverdale-based will only increase the benefits."

Josie's father, Miles McCoy, chuckled. "All that salt of the Earth Andrews, and you're just another money chasing gentrifier."

Mickey felt his jaw clench up. "My father is trying to make our town a better place," he defended.

"Now Miles," Mayor McCoy gave her husband a disapproving look. "Fred Andrews is a working man. And I personally would love to give the contract to him and his son."

Mickey nearly jumped through the roof.

"I would," the Mayor repeated "if it were up to me. Unfortunately the buyer has already lined up another contractor."

Fred pressed his lips together, the single father's face shaping into a crestfallen look. "I understand."

"Wait a second," Mickey interrupted "Can't you put us in touch with the buyer? Let us make our pitch in person?"

"It would take the signature of two board members to stop the process now," Mayo McCoy explained "and the buyer has insisted on total anonymity from the public until further notice."

"But if we could just-,"

"I'm am sorry, Mr. Andrews," the Mayor apologized "But there is nothing I can do."

* * *

"This close. We were this close."

Mickey sat with Archie and Reggie at Pop's later that night, trying to drown his sorrows in milkshakes. The blue-eyed twin hung his head low, wallowing in self-pity as his brother and best friend watched.

"Cheer up, man," Archie advised, giving his brother in a supportive look "There'll be other jobs."

"Not likes this," Mickey grumbled "The guys at the site said this is the biggest thing to hit Riverdale in almost ten years."

"Dang," Reggie took a long sip from his favorite milkshake, vanilla cinnamon "that's some serious green, bro."

"Look on the bright side," Archie advised "you've still got your date with Cheryl tomorrow."

Mickey's felt his face morph into a small smile at the mention of the small town scarlet bombshell. "Yeah. You're right. I guess it's not so bad."

"Dude. Dude," Reggie rapidly tapped the brown-eyed twin's shoulder. "Check it out." The Varsity football captain drew Archie's attention to two girls sitting on the other side of the diner: Josie McCoy and Veronica Lodge. Reggie's face broke into a massive grin. "Hotties at two o'clock."

Archie chuckled. "I thought this was Guys' Night, Reggie."

"It is. And the only thing better than a Guys' Night, is a Guys' Night with girls. What do you say, Archie?" Reggie gave his friend an encouraging look "Up for another round of Seven Minutes in Heaven with Veronica?"

Archie paused, his cheeks growing warm at the thought of kissing the raven-haired princess once again. "I'm good, Reg."

"Suit yourself," The leader of Bulldogs jumped up from his seat "But Mickey's not the only one who can get babes."

The blue-eyed twin rolled his eyes as his best friend sauntered over to the leader of the Pussycats. "You sure you don't you want to go over there?" He asked Archie "Might be your best chance to ask New York out."

"I'm not interested in Veronica."

"Archie," Mickey chuckled at his brother's recited response "Are you trying to convince me our yourself?" As the brown-eyed twin struggled to respond, Mickey quickly checked his phone, hoping to find a text from the blonde-haired girl next door. "Have you heard from Betty at all?"

Archie shook his head.

Mickey had a bad feeling about this. After visiting Polly, the young reporter practically turned into a ghost, barely saying a word at school and being rushed into the car by her parents the second school let out. He tried to ask Jughead about it, but the young novelist simply said it wasn't his story to tell. And now she wasn't answering her phone? The blue-eyed twin got up from his seat, leaving the money for his bill. "I'll see you at home."

* * *

Mickey Andrews marched straight to the Cooper's house, knocking his fist against the door as family matriarch came out.

"Mickey Andrews," Alice greeted in a less than friendly tone "What can I do for you?"

"Is Betty here?" he asked.

"Yes. But she's grounded. Apparently, she and Jughead took a little trip to see Polly instead going to school yesterday," Alice informed "Did you know about that?"

Mickey straightened up at the accusatory tone in her voice. "And if I did?"

Alice shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "I just find it odd that you didn't feel the need to tell us. Like with Polly."

Mickey felt his blood start to boil. "All due respect Mrs. Cooper, I'm not your son. And I'm not your errand boy either. And last time I checked, you owed me," he reminded sharply "If Betty wants to see her sister, I am not going to stand in her way," he vowed "and neither should you."

* * *

It was Friday night. Mickey's big date with Cheryl. And he had absolutely no idea on what to wear.

The blue-eyed twin stood alone in front of his closet, trying to find the right shirt. After going through just about every piece of clothing he owned, Mickey came across a red and white flannel in the back of the closet and smiled. Red was Cheryl's favorite color. After finding the right shirt, Mickey finished getting dressed and raced down the stairs, grabbing his jacket as he hoped into the Lyft waiting for him downstairs, nervously riding over to Cheryl's to pick her up. He didn't have his license yet. The whole ride to Thornhill, Mickey kept toying with his hair, making sure not a strand was out of place. He wanted to look perfect for Cheryl. When he finally made it to the door of Cheryl's home, he saw a sight he that made his jaw drop.

The scarlet bombshell wore a dark green velvet shoulderless dress with long sleeves, along with a white fur jacket and high heels.

Mickey was in awe. "You look beautiful," he told her.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Cheryl teased.

The blue-eyed twin was dressed in a brown leather jacket, a red flannel shirt along with dark wash jeans and freshly polished brown leather boots. Mickey blushed as he handed Cheryl a rose from his jacket pocket causing her to smile. "Ready to go?"

Cheryl nodded. The two redheads climbed into the cab and rode off, their hands naturally finding one another. The two of them rode in silence for a while, the anxious silence coming to an end when Cheryl noticed a sign indicating that they were leaving town. "Where are we going?"

"Greendale."

Cheryl gave her boyfriend a confused look. "And just what is in Greendale?"

"It's a surprise," Mickey repeated.

Realizing that he wasn't letting up, Cheryl simply rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "So how's work? You guys are working on the Drive-In land right?"

"Actually," Mickey's smile started to falter "We didn't get the contract."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Cheryl gently ran her hands through her boyfriend's hair, giving him a sympathetic look "I know how much it meant to you."

Mickey shrugged. "I'm getting over it. Looks like we're here."

Cheryl glanced out her window as the care came to a stop in front of Baxter High, where she saw a sight that made her eyes go wide.

It was a carnival. A massive display of bright lights, games, rides and deep-fried food set up behind the football field, decorated with hay bales, autumn leaves and pumpkins.

Cheryl gasped. "What is this?"

"The Greendale Fall Festival," Mickey replied, smiling at the look on Cheryl's face "after everything you've been through, I thought you'd might a chance to get away from it all and have some fun."

Cheryl smiled. Truth be told, she couldn't remember the last time she enjoyed herself. The two redheads walked into the fairgrounds, the sweet smells of carnival food and the sounds of music in the air.

* * *

"Aren't you hungry?"

Mickey sat with Cheryl in the picnic grounds, the blue-eyed twin enjoyed a burger as Cheryl simply enjoyed a batch of cheese fries.

"Carnivals aren't really known for the vegetarian options."

"Oh. Sorry," Mickey apologized wiping his mouth, "I guess we should've gone to dinner first."

"It's okay Mickey," Cheryl assured, chuckling at the nervous look on his face "you didn't know. I'm sure I can get my fill on desert. Maybe with some cherry pie?"

Cheryl drew Mickey's attention to food stand labeled _Spellman's Pies,_ a crowd of people surrounding it.

"Cherry pie coming right up," Mickey promised. The blue-eyed twin hoped up from his seat and walked over to the booth, bought the desert for Cheryl and set it down in front of her.

"Thank you," Cheryl smiled as she took a bite of the desert, her eyes widening at the taste of it. "Oh my God. This is amazing," she exclaimed "You have to try this."

"But I haven't finished my b-," Mickey's voice was cut off as Cheryl shoved a forkful of the pie in his mouth, the young baseball player's eyes widening as he swallowed. "This is the greatest pies in the history of pie."

After splitting a whole cherry pie, Mickey and Cheryl set off and explored the festival, playing a series of games as the night went on. Mickey couldn't win the high striker, but he was a whiz at the dunking booth. They tried to set a new record on the corn maze, but Cheryl could barely keep up in her heels, so Mickey had to carry to the finish. But the highlight was Cheryl guessing the weight of the county prize winning pig, winning the two of them a free pair of tickets for the Ferris Wheel.

Mickey held Cheryl in his arms as the two of them rode up the iconic carnival ride, asking her a simple question as they rode up. "How did you know the that pig weighed 600 pounds?"

"Well, the average domestic pig can weigh up to 700 pounds," she informed "and since it was prize winning, I assumed it'd be somewhere on the high end."

"And you know how much the average pig weighs because-?"

"I love animals," Cheryl revealed "It's why I want to be a vet. And why I'm a vegetarian."

Mickey frowned before commenting. "But you're wearing a fur coat."

"Faux fur. Same as my leathers. I would never condone the senseless slaughter of innocent animals."

Cheryl Rose Blossom, animal rights activist. Who knew? "So, does this mean I should start planning a date to the zoo?" Mickey asked.

"Couldn't hurt. Thought I can't say I condone how all zoos care for their guests," Cheryl sighed "I just wish I could convince Mommy and Daddy to let me get a pet."

"We could share mine," Mickey offered "Dad has to practically hold Vegas down every time you come to pick me up. Maybe we could walk him sometime."

"I'd like that. Oh wow," Cheryl gasped as they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, the entire town of Greendale reduced to a bundle of twinkling lights below. "It's really beautiful up here."

"Yeah. Sure is."

When she realized Mickey wasn't talking about the view, Cheryl blushed. "What about you? What you want to do after high school?"

"Same thing I'm doing now. Building stuff with my dad. Everyone deserves a decent home, Cheryl. When I was in Chicago, I saw so many people living on the street," he recalled sadly "It made me realize just how important my dad's job really is. I mean, Jughead's trailer no bigger than the one my Dad uses for an office. I also made think about the kind of buildings I want to make," he went on "houses, skyscrapers, sports stadiums, music halls. I remember the first time Mom took me to the Sears Tower. I swear Rosie, when I saw that view," Mickey's eyes shined as he remembered that day "all I wanted to do was bring it home with me. I wanted to scoop half of Chicago in my hands and drop it right in Riverdale's backyard," he described "That's what I really want to do. I want to turn Riverdale into the biggest, brightest city the world has ever seen."

Cheryl stared at Mickey for a moment, blue-eyed twin's gaze locked on the small town blow, the look on his face like that on an artist starring at a blank canvas, imaging all the wondrous things he could create. "you really are something, Teddy Andrews."

The two redheads jumped as a loud explosion rang through the air, looking up to see a flurry of fireworks fly through the air.

Mickey smiled, gently tightening his grip on his girlfriend. "Looks like we've got the best seat in the house."

* * *

"You can't be serious."

Mickey stood with Cheryl in the middle of the fairgrounds, the redheaded girl trying to convince him to get in line for a deep purple tent labeled: _Madame Sabrina's Fortunes._

"Come on," Cheryl pleaded tugging on his arm "It'll be fun."

"I'm not really a horoscope guy," Mickey divulged, giving his girlfriend a hesitant look.

"Neither do I and my Nana's part gypsy." Cheryl batted her eyes as she stuck out her bottom lip. "Please?"

Mickey sighed. "Okay."

The two redheads silently stood in line until it was their turn, where they came face-to-face with the fortune-teller.

Sitting in front of Mickey and Cheryl was a young woman of about their age, with pale fair skin, platinum blonde hair, a delicate face, and icy blue eyes. Madame Sabrina smiled as the two of them walked in, dressed in a classic gypsy outfit, covered in lightweight scarves and golden jewelry. "Welcome darlings," she greeted in a deep Eastern European accent.

Mickey tilted his head skeptically. "You're Madame Sabrina?"

The fortune teller sighed. "It's the accent, right?" she asked an American voice "See, I'm like second generation Romani," Sabrina explained "and my Aunts thought this would be better if I sounded like was from the old country."

"You aunts," Mickey's eyes narrowed as he remembered a pair of sisters working food area of the fair "Are they the ones with the pie stand?"

Sabrina nodded. "That's them. Hilda and Zelda."

"Those pies are addictive," Mickey stated, "What do you guys put in those things?"

"Just a little magic," Sabrina informed with a teasing smile "So you guys want to get your fortunes or what?"

"Absolutely," Cheryl announced quickly, earning a look from Mickey.

Sabrina smiled as she took Cheryl's hand in hers, gently tracing her fingers across the redheaded girl's palm, a focused and concerned look spreading across her face. "Scars," she said in a soft, saddened voice "I see scars. Someone has hurt you in the past. And I fear they will again." Cheryl's faced turned pale, a cold, terrifying chill racing down her spine as Sabrina warned "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

Mickey scowled. "Okay. That's enough," the blue-eyed twin marched over and pulled Cheryl's hand out of Sabrina's grasp, only for the young fortuneteller to tighten her grip on his wrist as she inspected his palm. "Blood," she said in a shocked, startled voice "blood has stained these hands."

Mickey blinked. How did a girl from Greendale know about the fight with Dilton Doiley?

"You have a warrior's spirit," Sabrina went on "You come from a family of warriors."

Mickey was seriously getting creaped out now. His father did a tour in Iraq. His uncle Owen died in Operation Dessert Storm. His Grandpa Artie, the former owner of Mickey's field jacket, served in Vietnam. Great-Grandpa Flynn, the man who brought the Andrews family to America, was a decorated royal seaman who fought in World War Two after the London bombings.

"It's a good thing too. There is a darkness surrounding Riverdale," Sabrina warned, tracing her fingers across Mickey's palm "one that intends to swallow it whole. Soon, you and your brother will have to accept your warrior blood."

Mickey paled. "How did you know I have a brother?"

"But there is good news," Sabrina offered. The young fortuneteller took Mickey and Cheryl's hands and linked them together, giving the two redheads a small smile "Whatever darkness that comes, you can survive it together."

* * *

"So what got you interested in animals?" After getting spooked by Sabrina, Mickey thought a nice hayride would help Cheryl get her mind off things.

The last Blossom twin rested her head on Mickey's chest as they sat in a small horse-drawn wagon, sitting on top of a bale of hay under the stars, just like Mickey promised.

"When I was seven, Jay-Jay and I found a baby bird in the park," She began "it had fallen out of its nest and broken its wing. We took it home and nursed it back to health," Cheryl smiled softly as the childhood memories ran through her mind "I called her Chirpy. I'd feed her fresh fruit and trail mix and every night she'd sing me to sleep. I loved that bird. Then, one day, I came home from school and she was gone," Cheryl's smile faded "I never saw Chirpy again."

"What do you think happened to her?" Mickey asked.

"Mommy happened." Cheryl looked towards the pair of horses pulling the wagon, a wistful look on her face as she imagined having one for herself. "Animals love unconditionally. People don't." After a moment's silence, Cheryl asked. "How did you know about the carnival?"

Mickey blushed before admitting. "You know how everyone makes a list of all things they want to do when they start a new school year? Well, being your boyfriend was at the top of my list. So in between anger management classes and eight-hour baseball practices, I planned a first date for every season."

"Really?"

Mickey nodded, an embarrassed smile spreading across his lips as Cheryl caressed his face.

"Tell me about them," she requested, nuzzling closer to him "the other dates."

Mickey smiled as he gave her body a gentle squeeze. "Well, Carson College has a great theater department. They put on _A Christmas Carol_ every weekend in December. And in the spring, we could go for a picnic," he went on "I know a spot in Foxwoods forests that's always covered with fresh flowers. And in the summer-,"

"Go on," Cheryl insisted softly Mickey's voice trailed off "In the summer we can what?" the redheaded girl frowned as she saw the nervous look on his face. "You planned a boat ride."

Mickey nodded, a nervous lump swelling in the back of his throat. "Jason did Water Polo and you're on the swim team," he reminded "so I thought it might be fun. Until I got home."

Cheryl nodded silently for a moment, looking out of the woods towards Sweetwater River. "When I was little, I was obsessed with the water," she told Mickey "Every time I jumped in, I felt like I was _The Little Mermaid,_ my favorite Disney princess," she chuckled, a saddened, nostalgic smile spreading across her face. "Whenever I was feeling sad or angry, I would just swim all my problems away. Now I don't know if I'll ever get in the water again."

Mickey gently rubbed his hand across Cheryl's shoulder, giving her a soft sympathetic smile. "My grandpa Artie died when I was ten. He loved to tell us stories," the blue-eyed twin smiled softly as he remembered "he used to act out the fight scenes, give the characters different voices. After he died, I couldn't look at a book without getting angry. Then Polly," Mickey felt a twinge in his heart at the mention of his best friend "took me to the library one day and said that we weren't leaving until I read T _he Cat in the Hat_ from cover to cover. Took me about to two minutes to start crying," he admitted with a chuckle " but she held my hand the whole way through it. Things will get better Rosie," Mickey promised "I don't know when, but they will. And I am here to help in any way I can."

"I know you are," Cheryl paused briefly before asking "What kind of stories did your grandpa tell you?"

"All kinds. Fairy tales, comic books. King Arthur was his favorite," Mickey smiled fondly as he remembered "I still have the copy he used to read to us."

"King Arthur. That explains it."

Mickey scrunched up his eyebrows. "Explains what?"

Cheryl's eyes sparkled. "Why you're my knight in shining armor."

* * *

After the hayride, Mickey and Cheryl made their way to the exit, where their Lyft was waiting for them. Cheryl smiled warmly as she held Mickey's hand in hers, speaking softly and contently as she asked. "Do we really have to go?"

the blue-eyed twin gave her a soft smile, he didn't this night to end either. "The Variety Show's starting soon. I can't miss my brother's first live performance. But, I do have an extra ticket," Mickey offered "if you want to come with me?"

Cheryl smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

Archie stood alone backstage at the Riverdale Variety show that night, his heart racing as he watched Josie and Pussycats, along with a recently returned Valerie, perform in front of the entire town. God, they made it look so easy. And Veronica. It was only her first time performing with the band. And yet, she acted as if she was born on a stage. As the all-girl band finished their song, Archie forced a smile as Valerie made her way backstage, a massive grin on her face as she jumped into the brown-eyed twin's arms. "You guys killed it," Archie told her.

"So will you," Valerie gave the varsity football player a supportive smile. "I know it."

As the Pussycats made their way to their seats in the audience, Veronica Lodge lingered behind as she starred at the next act, watching Archie Andrews as he fought to keep his nerves under control. The New York native walked over to the brown-eyed twin, a nervous expression on her face as she confessed. "So, about my outburst earlier this week, I was mad at my mom and your dad," she admitted "and it was wrong of me to take it out on you."

"And I shouldn't have benched you to make room for Valerie," Archie apologized.

"Truer words have never been spoken," Veronica confirmed, earning a brief chuckle from the two of them.

"How are you holding up?" Archie asked.

"Honestly, I'm hanging by a whisker," the raven-haired princess admitted. "You?"

"The thought of public humiliation in front of the entire town is terrifying," the brown-eyed twin confessed nervously.

"Want some company?"

Archie gave the raven-haired princess a warm smile, causing her to bite on her bottom lip. "More than anything. But I have to do this by myself, Veronica."

The New York native nodded. "Well, if you freeze out there," Archie felt his heart race as Veronica straightened his tie, her gentle dark orbs sparkling as she suggested. "just focus on someone who makes you feel safe."

Archie stared at Veronica for a moment, a strange sensation stirring in his heart as they locked eyes. He had only known her for a short time, and yet she was slowly becoming his sanctuary.

"Now go show them how amazing you are," she whispered "Archiekins."

As Kevin announced his performance, Archie took in a nervous breath and made his way onstage.

* * *

Mickey and Cheryl sat next to Fred and Hermione during the show, their hands intertwined as they watched Archie walk onto the stage, a nervous look on his face as sat on his stool.

Mickey frowned. What happened to Valerie?

The brown-eyed twin sat nervously for a moment, his panicked eyes scanning over the crowd as spotted his brother.

Mickey smiled as he locked eyes with Archie, mouthing three simple words: _"You got this."_

Archie smiled softly as took in a steadying breath, closing his eyes as he began to play.

" _Can you hear me?_

 _Am I drowned out in the crowd?_

 _Are you listening,_

 _Or is everyone else too loud?"_

Throughout the entire performance, the crowd was silent, waiting for the last note to ring through the air before erupting into applause, causing the brown-eyed twin to blush as he bowed gracefully.

Mickey couldn't have been prouder.

* * *

"That's what I'm talking about!" the second Archie appeared from the auditorium after the Variety Show, Mickey charged over and gave his brother a hug, a massive grin on his face he proclaimed, "You crushed it, Archie-Boy!"

"Thanks bro," Archie chuckled "so how was your date?"

"Amazing," The blue-eyed twin beamed "I think we got something good here."

On the other end of the hall, Cheryl stood with Veronica, having the same conversation.

The New York native's eyes widened as she proclaimed. "He planned a date for every season?"

Cheryl nodded. "And I can't wait to go on every one of them," and in a surprised voice, Cheryl confessed "I'm happy, Veronica. For first the time since I lost my brother, I'm happy."

"Good," Veronica smiled at the massive grin on her friend's face. "You deserve to be happy."

"So, you and Archie seem to be on better terms," Cheryl noticed "should I have my Teddy Bear set up a double-," the redheaded girl's voice trailed off as her eyes locked on a sight down the hall.

"What?" Veronica asked, turning her head to follow Cheryl's gaze, where she saw Archie and Valerie kissing. Veronica felt sick to her stomach.

Cheryl gave the raven-haired girl a sympathetic look. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Veronica lied, forcing a smile "It's not like we were dating or anything."

At that moment, the two girls jumped as a shout of joy rang out through the halls, turning around to see Mickey giving his father a massive hug.

"What's that about?" Veronica asked.

"I don't know. Babe, what's-," Cheryl yelped as Mickey came charging towards them, taking her into his arms and twirling her around in air. "What has gotten into you?" she laughed.

"We got the SoDale contract!" he exclaimed.

"Oh my God!" Cheryl gasped, giving her boyfriend a massive hug. "That's incredible!"

"Congratulations, Mickey," Veronica told me, the sickening pit in her stomach getting worse. She knew who the SoDale buyers were. How they were able to change contractors. "Excuse me. I have to go."

Cheryl gave the New York native a curious look as she walked off, the concerned feeling quickly wearing off as she saw the massive smile as on her boyfriend's face.

"We need to celebrate," Mickey insisted "Let's go to Pop's. Drink our weight in milkshakes."

"Baby, it's getting late," Cheryl reminded.

"I don't care," Mickey responded quickly, taking her hand. "This has been best night of my life," he professed softly "and I just don't want it to end."

Cheryl smiled as she saw the look on his face, blushing softly he started playing with her fingers. "Neither do I."

"Mickey!"

The two redheads pulled away from each other as familiar voice rang out. "Betty?" the blue-eyed twin gave the girl next door a surprised look as she came rushing towards them, her hair and face damp from the rain. "I thought you were grounded."

"You have to come with us," the blonde-haired girl demanded "right now."

Mickey frowned as he pulled his friend over to an empty corner in the halls, the desperate look on her face making him worried. "Bets, what's going on?"

"We found it, Mickey."

"Found what?"

"Proof," Betty answered "that Polly was telling the truth. That she's not crazy."

"Betty slow down," Mickey insisted gently "no one thinks Polly's crazy."

"My parents do. That's why they sent her away," she revealed "to keep her quiet."

"Polly was sent away so she could get help."

"That's a lie!" Betty snapped, causing Mickey to jump "Jughead and I found the car Polly and Jason planned on leaving town in. And now we're going to bring her home," she vowed strongly "Jughead's getting us a Lyft, but we have to go right now. Before my parents find out and try to stop us."

Mickey stared at Betty for a moment, her soft green eyes blazing with conviction and determination. Mickey didn't know if Polly was ready to come home, but he knew one thing: He needed to see her. For so long he feared the consequences of his actions last summer. The time for running was over. The blue-eyed twin sighed. "Give me a minute. I'll meet you outside." With a heavy heart, Mickey walked back over to Cheryl, an excited smile spreading across her face at the sight of him. "Rosie, I have to go."

"Go?"

"I'm sorry," Mickey apologized, the disappointed look on her face like a knife being twisted in his stomach "I just wanted tonight to be perfect for you. Betty found a lead on what happened to your brother," he revealed "they need my help." Mickey gently cupped Cheryl's face with his hands, a deeply remorseful and caring look in his eyes "I swear I'll make this up to you," he promised in a sincere, regretful voice "You deserve better than this." And he kissed her.

It was a quick kiss, no more than a few seconds long, but it was filled with enough longing and emotion to make Cheryl's heart race and Mickey's head spin. Just as Cheryl prepared to kiss him back, Mickey pulled away and spun around on his heels, taking off after Betty into the night.

* * *

Throughout the whole ride to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, Mickey was an inch away from a panic attack. His heart raced. His face turned ghostly white. His heel jabbed rapidly at the floor like a jackhammer.

"Mickey?" Betty saw the nervous look on her friend's face and frowned. "Are you okay?"

Mickey swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. "What if she doesn't want to see me?" he whispered.

Betty reached over and gave Mickey's hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course, Polly will want to see you," she assured him with a smile "You guys are best friends."

"I hope you're right."

Betty paused at the grim tone in his voice. "That fight must've been pretty bad."

Mickey turned away and looked out the window, watching the rain fall on the lush green woods. "You have no idea."

* * *

Growing up, Mickey was raised as a Catholic. Fred's father, the last Andrews born in Scotland, grew up in a small farm town, where everyone attended the same ancient cathedral that dated back to the middle ages. Add Mary's uncle the priest into the mix, and it was inevitable that Archie and Mickey their childhoods at Mass as Riverdale's most beloved Alter boys. After Mary left, Fred started taking the boys less and less, until the Andrews family was only seen at church on Christmas and Easter.

When he went to Chicago, Mary signed Mickey up for anger management classes, led by a priest from her church. After hearing Father Collins talk for three weeks straight, Mickey finally decided to back to Mass with Mary. Mickey couldn't explain it, but when he heard Priest speak, it was like he was talking directly to him. Before he knew it, Mickey found himself praying again. For his family, for Cheryl. But mostly, he prayed for Polly.

Every night he prayed for her. Prayed that she would forgive him. Prayed that she would come home soon. Prayed that her parents sent her the best place they could afford, where the staff was kind and went above and beyond for their patients.

When he saw the home of the Sister's of Quiet Mercy, he wondered if God had heard any of his prayers.

It was an old building, built from weathered brick and dirtied windows. With high iron gates and bulky guards stalking the grounds. Mickey felt sick to his stomach. This wasn't a home, it was prison. As Mickey walked down the halls, he couldn't imagine any parent with half a heart sending their daughter there. The walls were chipped and cracked, the windows were bared. The girls all wore the same worn dresses and old sweaters.

"It should be right over here," Betty, who led the charge with Jughead by her side, came to a stop when she heard a loud bang.

The blonde-haired girl quickly turned around, where she saw Mickey resting his head and forearms against the wall, his eyes swelling to the brim with tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Polly."

"Mickey?" Betty walked over to her friend's side, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as she spoke in a soft, caring voice "What's wrong?"

"This is all my fault," Mickey chocked back a sob as he confessed "I messed up real bad, Bets."

"What are you talking about?"

"I knew Jason and Polly were engaged," he revealed "I even knew he was selling drugs. I _begged_ her," he emphasized "I begged her not her leave with Jason. To just wait until they graduated. But she wouldn't listen. So," Mickey's throat started to clench up as he went on "So I told my mom. And we called your parents. On July 3rd." Mickey squeezed his eyes shut as he confessed "Polly's in here because of me."

Betty took a step back as Mickey turned to face her, a shocked and betrayed look on her face as she put the pieces together. How Polly had confided in someone about her plans with Jason. How Alice had help in finding out. How Mickey always look upset whenever Polly was mentioned. "How could you do that? How could you do that to Polly?"

"Jason had her on drugs," Mickey protested "You saw how she was acting. How she kept getting sick. I thought your parents her sent to rehab." The blue-eyed twin quickly glanced across the halls of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, a sickened look on his face "not here."

"Guys." Mickey and Betty turned around as Jughead Jones spoke up, a grim and nervous look on his face. "You need to see this."

The two of them followed the young writer into a small room with the name _Cooper_ on the door, a broken window overlooking the woods, jagged piece of glass stained with blood. Polly was gone.


	7. Chapter 7: In a Lonely Place

_The year was 2011. And Artie Andrews was dead._

 _Ten-year-old Mickey Andrews sat alone his room wrapped up in his late grandfather's trademark field jacket, dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, a black buttoned-up vest, black slacks and white Adidas sneakers, holding a picture of his grandfather in his hands._

 _Artie was a handsome man. Born with a strong, masculine jaw that life had coated in a thick salt-and-pepper beard, a full head of slicked back grey hair, gentle dark eyes and a warm, welcoming smile that could make even the most sorrowful soul crack a grin._

 _Mickey struggled to swallow as he stared at the photograph in his hand, the lump in his throat making it hard for him to breathe. Artie just always seemed… immortal. He never complained about a bad back, or got tired easily or even considered taking advantage of Pop's senior specials. Artie Andrews lived to be seventy years old and yet, he barely looked fifty in his final days._

" _Mickey?"_

 _The little boy didn't even look up as eleven-year-old Polly Cooper nervously walked into the room, dressed in a simple black dress, along with a matching headband and flats, a concerned look on her face and a box wrapped in green paper under her arm. "Are you okay?"_

 _Mickey said nothing, his pale blue eyes shattered and hollow as he stared at the picture._

 _Polly walked silently over to her best friend's side, knowing all too well the pain that Mickey was in. Three months earlier, the Coopers had buried Alice's mother, a tragedy Polly and Betty never would've been able to endure without the Andrews brothers. Which is why they had begged their mother into letting them come to the wake today, an event that had, unfortunately, fallen on Archie and Mickey's birthday._

" _Everyone's downstairs," Polly told him in a soft voice "what are doing up here by yourself?"_

 _Still nothing._

" _Betty made cookies. Do you want you to have some with us and Archie?"_

 _At last, Mickey responded, silently shaking his head._

" _Do you want me to stay?"_

 _Mickey nodded._

 _Polly walked over and sat on the bed, setting her present on the bedside table. "I like your necklace."_

 _Mickey brought a hand to the medallion around his neck, the face of a bear surrounded by a ring of Celtic knots, etched into a pendant of silver, hanging from a black leather cord. For the first time, Mickey spoke. "Grandpa got it for me."_

 _Polly winced. "I heard that you guys are going to Scotland. That sounds like fun."_

" _He wanted to be buried there."_

 _Polly stayed silent for moment, desperately trying to find the right words to say. She wanted to help him. To comfort him, they way he'd comforted her when she lost her grandmother. But how? When their grandmother died, Betty and Polly had been reduced to a couple of tear factories, crying non-stop with their red-headed neighbors at their side. Only Mickey hadn't cried once all week._

" _I got you a birthday present," Polly picked up the green box and offered to Mickey "It might make you feel better."_

 _Solemnly, Mickey took the present into his hands, pulling away the paper to reveal a Thor action figure underneath._

" _I know he's your favorite superhero." Polly frowned as Mickey's eyes swelled with tears "What's wrong?"_

" _Grandpa was supposed to take us to see the movie."_

 _Polly placed a gentle on her best friend's shoulder as he squeezed his eyes shut, his face turning red as he choked back a sob._

" _It's okay, Mickey," she whispered. "It's okay to cry."_

 _The little boy shook his head. "I can't."_

" _Sure you can," Polly encouraged "remember when I lost my grandma? Betty and I cried all the time."_

" _No," Mickey protested in a weak voice "If I cry, then dad can't."_

 _Polly tilted her head. "What do you mean?"_

" _I heard mom and dad talking when they booked the plane tickets. Dad starting crying, but he stopped because he said he had to be strong for me and Archie," Mickey explained with a sniffle "So, if dad thinks I'm okay-,"_

" _He won't have to keep himself from crying," Polly finished._

 _Mickey pulled his knees up to his chest. "I don't want Dad to see me cry."_

" _Your dad's not here now," Polly reminded gently, gently rubbing circles between his shoulders as the tears started to trickle down his face. "Come here."_

 _Mickey let out a sob as Polly pulled him into a gentle hug, finally allowing the tears to stream down his cheeks as he buried his face in her neck._

 _After that, Polly and Mickey were more than friends. They were family._

* * *

Mickey sat on the edge of his bed early that morning, dressed in a white tank top and a pair of pajamas, looking out at the Cooper house from his window. He always thought he and the Cooper girls would be best friends forever. But after his visit to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy with Betty, he doubted either one of them would ever speak to him again. If only Grandpa Artie was still around, he always gave good advice. But the only way Mickey could feel close to him now was to play with the medallion that never left his neck.

"Mick?"

The blue-eyed twin looked over his shoulder as brother woke up, wearing nothing more than a pair of briefs and his own medallion from Grandpa Artie, this one depicting the face of a lion, etched in gold. Archie yawned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the varsity quarterback's auburn hair sticking up in every direction. "What are you doing up?"

"I don't think I ever really got to sleep." The blue-eyed sighed as he revealed "Polly's missing."

Archie jumped out of his bed. "What?"

Mickey nodded. "She broke out of the group home after she found out Jason died. Now she's…God knows where. Probably stoned out of her mind."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's got a drug problem Archie," Mickey told him "That's why her parents sent her away."

Archie frowned at the solemn look on his brother's face "how do you know all this?"

Mickey's throat clenched up as he confessed. "Because I'm the one who told them about it."

Archie stared at his bother for a moment, a surprised and confused expression spreading across his face. "Get dressed."

Mickey frowned as his brother tossed him a pair of sweatpants. "Where are we going?"

"The school gym," Archie answered, stepping into a pair of shorts "We're going to work out and you're going to tell me everything."

* * *

Mickey stood with Archie in the school weight room later that morning, the blue-eyed twin dressed in a black tracksuit with green stripes, while his brother wore a simple t-shirt and shorts.

Archie grunted as completed another rep on the bench press, his brother standing behind him as a spotter while he told him the story of Polly Cooper. "So… you knew Jason was selling drugs…that he and Polly… wanted to get married?"

"Yep."

"Why didn't you… say anything?"

"I wasn't sure I made the right call," Mickey sighed as he started pacing around the gym, running a hand through his slicked back, auburn hair. "I'm still not sure. Archie, everytime I think about Polly, I get this...knot in my stomach," he described "like my gut is trying to tell me something."

"What's it… trying to say?"

"That I jumped the gun when I called the Coopers," Mickey confessed in a fearful voice "that I didn't have all the facts."

"Uh, Mickey?" Archie's face turned red as he struggled to finish his set, his arms trembling with fatigue as he fought to keep the barbell above his head. "little help?"

"Right," Mickey hurried over to his brother's side, helping him to bring the weight up and onto the rack. "Sorry, Archie."

"It's okay," the brown-eyed twin groaned as he stretched his sore arms. "You did the right thing, Mickey."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"Polly was supposed to be at Sweetwater River," Archie reminded, taking a sip from his water bottle "if you hadn't called her parents, there's a good chance Kevin and Moose would've found two bodies that night." The brown-eyed twin gave his brother a proud gaze "You saved her life, man."

After finishing their workout, Archie and Mickey headed for the showers, where they came across an unexpected sight: Jughead Jones, brushing his teeth in a towel.

Mickey frowned. "What's J doing here?"

"I don't know. Jughead," Archie called, causing the young novelist to jump "what are you doing here?"

The dark-haired boy chuckled nervously. "Just… taking advantage of Riverdale High's state-of-the-art facilities."

The Andrews brothers shared a silent look. Neither of them were buying it. "Jug," Archie spoke to his best friend in a low, concerned voice "What are you doing here?"

* * *

He was homeless. Archie's best friend was homeless. After the three of them got dressed, Jughead led the auburn-haired brothers to where he was staying: a tiny, forgotten closet underneath the school's main staircase. Archie looked in shock at the cramped surroundings: the small cot in the corner, the hotplate set up on a pile of boxes. "How long?" he asked.

"Since the Drive-In shut down," Jughead revealed "that's where I was staying before."

"That's why you wanted to save it so bad," Mickey realized. The blue-eyed twin a light grey sweatshirt along with a pair of blue jeans and sneakers. "Why aren't you staying at home, J?"

The young writer shrugged, an embarrassed and ashamed look spreading across his face. "Things… aren't good at home. After your dad fired him, my dad fell off the wagon. Again."

Archie sighed. For as long as the Andrews brothers had known him, FP Jones had struggled with alcoholism, a scar left from his time in Iraq with Fred. FP never hurt anyone when he got drunk, but it did make him unreliable.

"My mom got tired of waiting for him to sober up," Jughead went on "so, last summer, she took off with Jellybean while we were at the Drive-In. They're staying with my grandparents in Toledo."

Archie gave his best friend a sympathetic look. _This is my fault,_ he thought. _If I hadn't been so wrapped in Geraldine during the summer, I could've done something._ "Jughead, where does your dad think you are?" he asked.

"Couch surfing," the young writer responded, grabbing his bag as the bell rang.

"Screw that," Archie insisted, following Jughead down the halls with Mickey by his side "come live with us. I know me and Mick can get dad to-,"

"Guys. This is just temporary," Jughead assured them "until I figure something out."

Archie frowned at the reassuring look on his best friend's face. He wanted to believe Jughead would be okay, but after what he'd just seen, Archie got a feeling his friend needed all the help he could get.

"Just do me a favor" Jughead requested "don't tell anyone? Especially not Betty."

"Betty?" the brown-eyed twin frowned at the mention of the blonde-haired girl "she's not going to care."

"New York might be little a stuck up about it," Mickey commented.

"Whatever. Just don't tell anyone," Jughead repeated "Got it, Mickey?"

The blue-eyed twin gave the aspiring writer a questioning look "You got something you want to say to me?"

Jughead shrugged, a cold and judgmental glare in his eye. "Just that you don't have the best track record with keeping secrets."

Mickey scowled.

"Jug," Archie stepped between his brother and his best friend a protective look in his eye as he reminded "Mickey was trying to help Polly."

"Yeah," the young writer scoffed "and he got her sent to the setting of a Gothic horror show."

"Jason was selling drugs," Mickey repeated "he got Polly hooked on drugs. I was trying to keep my best friend from the spending the rest of her life strung out on her husband's products."

"I've grown up on the South Side, Mickey," Jughead interrupted "Seen a lot of junkies. And Polly Cooper isn't one of them."

Mickey felt an all too familiar pit swallow his stomach. "What are you talking about?"

The dark-haired boy said nothing, giving the young baseball player a cold glare as he walked off.

"Jughead," Mickey called. "Jughead!"

"Mickey," Archie quickly held his brother back as he attempted to follow, the excited look in the older twin's eye making him nervous "calm down."

"He knows something," Mickey jabbed a finger in the direction that Jughead had gone, an urgent and desperate look in his eye "He knows something about Polly. What?"

"I don't know. I don't know," Archie repeated, trying to keep Mickey from having another Mad Dog moment. "But I can find out. Listen, I'll go talk to Betty," he promised "see what I can find out about Polly. But I need you to stay calm," he insisted gently "okay?"

Mickey took a deep breath, blinking slowly as he regained a level head. "Okay. Thanks, bro."

Archie smiled as his brother gave him a deeply grateful look. "No problem. Just give Betty some space until I figure this out, okay? Try keeping your mind off things," he suggested.

"My best friend has been missing for the past three days. How am I supposed to think about anything else?" Mickey questioned.

"There's my Teddy Bear."

The Andrews brothers turned around as they heard a familiar voice, spotting Cheryl Blossom as she walked down the hall, smiling warmly as she locked eyes her boyfriend.

"I'm sure she can help you keep your mind off things," Archie whispered.

Rolling his eyes, Mickey walked over and closed the gap between him and Cheryl, giving her a gentle kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey."

"Where were you this morning?" Cheryl asked with a slight pout "I thought I was picking you up."

"I'm sorry," Mickey apologized sincerely "Archie and I wanted to get a workout in before school."

"Mmm. Well, I can't see how I can stay mad about that," Cheryl responded in a low, seductive tone. The scarlet-haired girl grinned as she ran her hands across Mickey's chest "after all, I do love your muscles."

"You know, I am more just a pretty face," Mickey teased.

"I know," Cheryl assured him in between a row of kisses "you're kind…. talented…romantic…considerate…and gorgeous."

Archie rolled his eyes as Mickey and Cheryl shared a heated kiss, heading down the halls to meet his friends. Mickey had only been with Cheryl a short time, but his face lit up every time she walked in the room. And as happy as he was for his brother, Archie couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

* * *

Archie walked into the Student Lounge later that morning, his friends already huddled together with their morning coffees, when he saw an unexpected sight: Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones holding hands.

Archie's blood started simmering. His heart started to speed up. And yet, he couldn't understand why. "Hey guys."

Betty and Jughead jumped as the brown-eyed twin made his presence known, causing the two of them to quickly pull away from each other.

Archie frowned. Why did Jughead look guilty? "Any news on Polly?" Archie asked.

"No," Betty let out a worried sigh "it's been three days, you guys. And my parents still won't go to the police. They don't want to expose Polly's 'secret shame'."

Archie frowned. What did Betty mean by that?

"Guys," Betty's voice became that of a frightened child "What if Polly's in danger? What if whoever killed Jason comes after her?"

Jughead placed a comforting hand on Betty's shoulder, the blonde-haired girl giving it a gentle squeeze and an appreciative look.

Archie felt his jaw clench up, his hands slowly shifting into fists as his best friends shared a silent moment of intimacy. What was wrong with him? Betty and Jughead had known each other for years. Why wouldn't they support each other? _But why do they keep touching?_ Archie thought. After taking a moment to recompose himself, Archie asked. "Betty, why did your parents really send Polly away?"

Before she could even attempt an answer, Betty spotted Mickey walk into the lounge, with Reggie by his side and Cheryl on his arm. The blonde-haired girl quickly got up from her seat and marched out, giving a Mickey cold glare as she stated. "You're off the Blue & Gold."

"What?" Mickey gave his neighbor a look of disbelief. "Betts!" But she wouldn't answer. Enraged, Mickey growled as he whipped around and punched the wall, causing the entire student lounge to jump.

Archie followed his friends as they headed out, giving his brother a comforting look. "I'll talk to her."

Cheryl scoffed as she watched Betty disappear down the halls. "What's her problem?" the scarlet-haired bombshell frowned as she saw the guilty look on Mickey's face, the blue-eyed twin running a weary hand through his hair. "Theodore, what's wrong?"

Mickey felt his throat start to clench up. "You guys might want to sit down for this."

He told them everything. How Jason was selling drugs. How he planned to elope with Polly. How he told the Coopers what they were planning. How Polly had escaped from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

There was just one detail Reggie couldn't wrap his head around. "Jason wanted to get married? That's nuts!"

"You're wrong."

The two student athletes gave Cheryl a surprised look, the scarlet bombshell finally speaking after a long segment of silence.

Reggie tilted his head. "What are you talking about? He was a seventeen-year-old kid trying to get married."

"No," Cheryl gave her boyfriend a hurt, disbelieving expression. "Jason wasn't selling drugs."

"Mickey gave her a sympathetic look. "Cheryl-,"

"No," the Gothic heroine pulled away as Mickey tired to take her hand. "My brother would never sell drugs," Cheryl protested "Not after what happened to cousin Terry."

"Cousin Terry?"

"I remember him," Reggie recalled, snapping his fingers "didn't he graduate with my brother Oliver?"

Cheryl nodded. "He was the one who taught Jason how to play football. After high school, he played for Notre Dame on a full scholarship. Then, during his sophomore year, he tore his ACL." Cheryl's voice started quiver as she went on "Cousin Terry got addicted to painkillers. And when the doctors stopped refilling his prescription, he started using cocaine. Two months later, the RA found him dead in his dorm with a needle in his arm. Jason was devastated. Terry was like a brother to him. So I don't care what is you think you saw or claim you heard," Cheryl stated "there is no way that my sainted brother would disgraced our beloved cousin's memory by selling-,"

"Rosie."

One word. That was all it took for Mickey to calm Cheryl down. One single word. It was the way he said it that made her stop. Soft and gentle yet firm and steady at the same time. The high school baseball player reached over and gently took Cheryl's hand, giving her a soft, caring look. "Do you remember what I told you when I was investigating Chuck Clayton?" he asked.

Cheryl nodded. "You said you'd never lie to me."

"That was promise, Cheryl. I keep my promises." Mickey gave his girlfriend a remorseful look "even when I don't want to."

Mickey stayed silent as he handed Cheryl his phone, showing her a photo of Jason and Polly snuggled together in bed, a pile of various drugs on Jason's dresser. Mickey felt his heart break at the look on his girlfriend's face. "I took this back in April. When Polly started getting sick."

"This doesn't make any sense," Cheryl stared at the phone in disbelief "after we lost Terry, Jay-Jay wouldn't even take cold medicine. Why would he sell drugs?"

"Polly does have a drug problem. Maybe Jason was buying them for her," Mickey theorized "maybe Polly owed money to whoever she was buying from and Jason started selling to pay off the debt. What I don't get is how she got hooked on drugs in first place."

"Hold up," Reggie held up a finger as Mickey and Cheryl started to stare at him "I know I'm Riverdale's resident party animal," he acknowledged "And yes, Polly and Jason did hook up at my Chinese New Year party. But all I supplied at that party was booze and a finite supply of Jingle Jangle. And those two never got near any of it. Dang," Reggie's eyes widened as he looked at the picture on Mickey's phone. "I need to meet Jason's supplier. That dude has the hookup."

"Reggie, Jason's supplier probably killed him," Mickey reminded "Jason and Polly could've been trying to leave town to get away from the guy," the blue-eyed twin sighed "I still can't believe Polly would ever use drugs."

"And why is that?" Cheryl asked with a huff "because the Coopers are God's gift to Riverdale?"

"Because it can mess with her meds. Polly and Betty's grandmother had schizophrenia," Mickey revealed "Mrs. Cooper's a carrier so it's possible that Betty and Polly could have it too. When Polly was thirteen, her mom put her and Betty on this special preventative medication that could lower their chances of developing schizophrenia," the blue-eyed twin felt a familiar pit form in his stomach "Last spring, Polly stopped taking her meds. Her pill bottle dropped out of bag one day and when I picked it up… the refill was nearly a month old, but the bottle was completely full. Add her getting mixed up with drugs and-,"

"She seriously could've snapped," Reggie finished.

"Yeah."

Cheryl stayed silent for a moment, mentally processing all her boyfriend had revealed to her, remembering when Sheriff Keller had called regarding her brother's missing car. "Mickey, when did Polly go missing?"

"The night of our first date," Mickey frowned as he saw the look on her face "why?"

Without saying a word, Cheryl grabbed Mickey's face and gave him a heated kiss, causing his heart to pound against ribs, only for her to get up from her seat and take off.

"She's up to something. Mickey, she's up to something," Reggie repeated nervously "What is she up to?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Mickey questioned.

"She's your girlfriend."

"For like a week. Cheryl," Mickey called as he and Reggie and chased after her "Baby Doll, wait up!"

* * *

"Juggie."

The young writer paused as Archie caught up with him in the halls, an uneasy look on the brown-eyed twin's face.

"When you said that you didn't want Betty finding out where you're staying, is that because…you and Betty…,"

"We might've had a moment," the dark-haired boy revealed nervously "Archie-,"

"It's totally cool bro," the varsity quarterback assured him quickly "no worries." That was a lie. It shouldn't have been, but it was. Archie couldn't explain it, but the thought of Betty and Jughead together made him feel…betrayed. But why? Betty wasn't Archie's girlfriend, Valerie was. Then he remembered the dream he had the night of the Pep Ralley. And the song he started writing. "Anyway, I talked to my dad, and he's willing to give your dad a chance," he informed "If he wants it."

"Thanks, Arch," Jughead gave his best friend a grateful look. "I appreciate it."

"I just wish I could've helped sooner," Archie replied in a remorseful tone "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Jug. If I hadn't been so caught up with Geraldine over the summer, I could've-,"

"Stop," Jughead interrupted with a forgiving smile "Look, when my Dad lost his job, I was really upset. And maybe I cut you off as a sort of misdirected punishment," he confessed "We both were bad friends last summer, man. So how about we just wipe the slate clean and call it even?"

Archie smiled. "Deal." The brown-eyed twin paused before asking "Jug, what did Betty mean when she said Polly had a secret shame? What are her parents trying to hide?"

The Southside native sighed. "Not my place."

"Jug, come on," Archie pleaded "Polly's my friend too."

"I know that. But she's Betty's sister," Jughead reminded "and if you really want to know what happened to Polly, you're going to have to talk to her."

Archie sighed. "Alright. Alright, I'll-," Before he could even say another word, the brown-eyed twin's phone went off, revealing a new social media post that made his jaw drop the floor.

* * *

Dating a Blossom was no cake walk. Mickey was learning that the hard way. After she took off from the Student Lounge, Mickey and Reggie followed Cheryl to the school parking lot, where she got into her car and drove straight to the Sherriff's station.

"Bro, what is your girl up to?" Reggie whispered as the two boys made their way through the halls, trying to find any sign of Cheryl.

"For the hundredth time, I don't know Reggie," Mickey repeated in a slightly irritated voice. "Look, let's just find Cheryl before she-," the blue-eyed twin's voice trailed off as he and Reggie came across an unexpected face standing in front of the sheriff's office. "Mrs. Blossom?"

The scarlet-haired woman stood with her daughter and Sheriff Keller on either side of her, a cold, questioning gleam in her eye as she asked. "Cheryl, what are these two doing here?"

"Well mother, if you ever bothered to know any of the details regarding my life, you would know that Mickey is my new Bae," Cheryl informed, linking her arms with his "he also happens to be my source."

Confused at that last statement, Mickey gave Penelope a warm smile and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Blossom."

The scarlet-haired mother glanced at Mickey's hand like was an alien object. "Michael."

Mickey cringed. The only person who called Mickey Micheal was his mother, and that was only when he was in big trouble. "Not how I expected to meet your mother," he whispered in Cheryl's ear.

Cheryl placed as gentle hand on his shoulder. "As I was saying, Mickey just informed me that Polly just broke out of some loony bin," she revealed "the same night Jason's car got torched."

 _Don't do it Cheryl,_ Mickey prayed desperately in his head. P _lease God, don't let her say what I think she's going to say._

But she did. "Let me do the math for you: Polly escaping plus, Polly burning Jason's car, equals, Polly's Jason's killer."

Reggie's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "What?"

"Uh, Rosie, baby," Mickey gently placed both hands on Cheryl's waist, trying to his best not to rile her up anymore than he already had. "Don't you think you might be jumping to conclusions?"

"No," Cheryl answered quickly and sharply "I don't. You said it yourself, Mickey. The Cooper family is cramped with crazies. Which is why I've already tweeted my theory out to my minions."

Mickey felt sick to his stomach. "You what?"

Mickey and Reggie's jaws went slack as Cheryl showed them her phone, the social media post already retweeted by more than half the school.

Cheryl gave Kevin's father a demanding look. "The heat is on Sheriff Keller. I suggest you get to work."

As the Blossom women walked off, Mickey gave his best friend a nervous look. "Reg, do you think I could crash in your pool house for a couple days?"

"Sure," the varsity football frowned at his best friend's request "why?"

"Because if I go home, the Coopers are going to kill me."

* * *

As soon as the two of them were out of sight, Penelope Blossom grabbed Cheryl by the arm and slammed her against the wall, a murderous expression in her cold, dark eyes as she snarled. "Never challenge my authority like that again. Do I make myself clear?"

Cheryl's heart raced. Her blood ran cold. Her voice became that of a frightened child. "Yes." The scarlet bombshell jumped as her mother ripped her hand from her arm, her entire body shaking as she made her way to her car.

* * *

When Mickey and Reggie got back to Riverdale High, the entire school was divided. Some students thought Polly was innocent. Others thought she was a cold-blooded killer.

Mickey could hardly believe it. "Reg, this is not good."

"No kidding."

"Mickey!"

The blue-eyed twin looked up as Archie hurried over to them, a shocked and worried look on his face. "Please tell me that Cheryl isn't after Polly because of something you said."

"If I did, I'd be breaking Twin Code rule number three."

"Mick," Archie suppressed a groan "this is not good." The brown-eyed twin frowned as he got new alert on his phone. "Why is Cheryl tweeting _#CrazyCoopers_?"

Mickey cringed. "I might've told her about Grandma Barnes."

"What?"

"I didn't know that she was going to go to the cops!" the blue-eyed twin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair "Betty's going to kill me, isn't she?"

"She's definitely not going to hug you," Archie confirmed.

"Dude," Reggie drew his friends' attention to a familiar face marching towards them: A very angry Betty Cooper.

Mickey's faced to stark white. His legs turned to stone. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

"Why aren't you running?" Reggie whispered.

"I can't feel my legs," Mickey responded.

 _SMACK!_

Before any of the boys could react, Betty marched over and slapped Mickey across the face, causing Archie and Reggie to jump back in shock.

"Dang!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Polly trusted you. She treated liked family," Betty snapped at Mickey "and this is how you repay her? By convincing everyone that's a monster and dragging our dead grandmother through the mud!?"

"Betty!" Before she could wind up for another hit, Archie quickly stepped between his brother and his best friend, giving the blonde-haired girl a firm look. "that's enough."

Betty glared at Mickey as Archie held her back, her pale green eyes blazing as she sneered. "If anything happens to Polly, I will never forgive you." And she marched off.

Archie watched his oldest friend as she marched down the hall, a strange feeling stirring in his heart as he watched her join hands with Jughead and turn around the corner. Shaking off the confusing feelings, Archie turned around and gave his brother a sympathetic look. "You okay?"

"My best friend is on the run, my girlfriend wants to send Polly to San Quentin, and I'm pretty sure Betty's planning to kill me in my sleep," Mickey recapped, rubbing his sore cheek "I'm having a great day."

"Look on the bright side," Reggie suggested "Betty's the captain of the girls' soccer team. You're lucky she didn't kick you."

Mickey sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to think. If the Blossoms found Polly, they'd do everything in their power to make sure she'd rot in a prison cell. If the Coopers found Polly, they'd send her back to the Sisters of Quiet Torment. There was only one option. "We need to find Polly first."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Archie questioned "half the town's either signed up with the Blossoms or the Coopers. And it's not like we can search all of Everwoods forest by ourselves."

"We don't have to," Mickey's eyes lit up as his plan came together in his mind "if you and Reggie join Betty's search party, and I join Cheryl's, then we can look for Polly without anyone else knowing what we're doing."

Reggie gave his best friend a skeptic look. "You want to spy on your girlfriend?"

"Trust me, I don't like this plan anymore than you do," Mickey assured him, the thought of betraying Cheryl making him sick to his stomach. "But Cheryl is desperate to find Jason's killer. And she is not going to back off Polly until we can prove that she didn't kill Jason. My mom works for the DA's office in Chicago," he went on "She can get the charges against Polly dropped. Get her into a real rehab clinic."

"Mickey," Archie gave his brother an uncertain look "are you sure Polly's sick? Because Jughead and Betty seem pretty sure that she's fine."

"Archie, she stopped taking her meds."

"Who cares?" Archie questioned "Betty and Polly hate taking those meds. I mean come on, have you ever seen them once act like Grandma Barnes?"

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, a nervous chill running down his spine as he and Reggie shared a silent look. "Once."

Archie gave his brother a questioning stare. "You saw Polly have a breakdown?"

"Not Polly," Mickey corrected, earning a confused look from his brother "when we were investigating Chuck Clayton and his playbook, Betty started acting…weird."

Archie frowned at his brother's skeptic response. "Weird how?"

"Like a gender-bent _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ," Reggie answered.

"Huh?"

"Betty nearly drowned Clayton," Mickey divulged "she handcuffed him to a boiling hot tub and poured a bottle of maple syrup on his head."

"No. No way." Archie gave his brother a disbelieving look, the blue-eyed twin's words completely clashing with his own view of the girl next door. "Betty would never do that."

"You're right. She wouldn't," Mickey agreed "unless she'd been drinking. Betty and Polly's doctor have always said not mix anything with their medication," he reminded "and according to Veronica, Betty had two glasses of bourbon while they were getting Chuck drunk enough to tell the truth on camera. She thought she was Polly, Archie," Mickey told him "When Reggie and I got there, she was calling Chuck Clayton Jason Blossom. Now if a little booze could turn sweet Betty Cooper into a some sort of…baby Dominatrix," Mickey described "what do you a night of cocaine could do to Polly?"

* * *

"I'm sorry, Cheryl."

Veronica Lodge stood in front of leader of the Rivervixens later that afternoon, along with Tina, Ginger and Josie. The scarlet bombshell was currently looking for recruits for the Blossom's manhunt for Polly, hoping to recruit some of her closest friends to the cause. It wasn't going as well.

"As much as I cherish our newly formed friendship," Veronica acknowledged "Betty Cooper is my best friend. And will not take part in your family's overzealous plans to railroad her sister."

Cheryl clenched her jaw as her face remain neutral, a stinging pain in rising in her chest as her newest friend refused to stand by her. "Fine. Don't blame me when you fall on the wrong side of history. Josie, my bestie," the scarlet haired cheerleader gave the mayor's daughter a warm smile "I assume I can count on you to stand by me?"

The leader of Pussycats glanced down at the floor, a nervous look in her eye as she pressed her hands together. "Cher, you know you're my girl. But don't you think you guys jumping to conclusions?" she asked, "just a little?"

Cheryl scowled, the pain in her chest quickly turning into anger. "Unbelievable. You're choosing the self-righteous Coopers over me?"

"I understand how badly you want to find your brother's killer," Josie acknowledged "but all you have to support Polly as a suspect is a coincidence, a family feud and an unconfirmed mental illness."

Cheryl's blood began to boil. "Screw you, Josie." And she marched off. The leader of the Rivervixens quickly made her way over to her locker, burying her head inside as her eyes quickly swelled with tears. Didn't they understand how important this was to her? Did they understand that she needed this?

"Rosie?"

Cheryl felt the pain in her heart ebb at the sound of Mickey Andrews' voice, loving the way her middle name sounded on his lips.

The blue-eyed twin stood behind his girlfriend in halls, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Cheryl sniffled. "They don't believe me," she said in a soft, vulnerable voice "None of my friends believe me." She'd asked every lost one of the Rivervixens for help. But only Tina and Ginger had agreed to join her. And that was purely to preserve their social status. "They all like Betty more than me."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is." Cheryl had learned the hard way that being popular isn't the same as being loved. Being popular meant that you were known, maybe even respected. But in Cheryl's case, it meant being feared. "Everyone likes Betty more than me."

"I don't."

Cheryl smiled softly as she felt Mickey's hand slip around waist. "You always know when I need a snuggle," she commented, earning a chuckle from Mickey "I promised him," Cheryl confessed in a saddened tone.

Mickey frowned. "Who?"

"Jason. When we buried him, I promised that I'd avenge my brother," she explained "that whoever too him from me would suffer. But I can't do it alone." Cheryl turned around to look Mickey in the eye, giving him a deeply appreciative look. "That's why I can't tell what it means to me to have you on my side."

As Cheryl rested her head on his chest, a soft and delicate look on her face, Mickey prayed to God that his plan wouldn't cost him the most important person in his life.

* * *

That afternoon, the hunt for Polly Cooper began. The Cooper family started their search on the west side of Everwoods forest, while the Blossoms worked their way from the east, a plan secretly set in motion by the Andrews brothers whispering in Betty and Cheryl's ears. With both parties starting on opposite ends of the woods, Polly would be forced to run into one of the groups, hopefully before the Blossoms and the Coopers met in the middle. While Archie headed out with the Betty and her parents, Mickey put on his field jacket, grabbed Vegas and headed over to where the Blossom family search party was stationed, where he saw a sight that made him sick to his stomach.

The blue-eyed twin found himself surrounded by half a dozen burly men dressed in denim and camouflage, surrounded by a pack of dogs so big, they could eat Vegas for lunch.

"Cheryl, who are these guys?" Mickey asked.

"Reinforcements. Since most of the town has been deceived by the classic Cooper façade, Mommy and Daddy thought we could some…professional help."

Mickey's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Your parents hired bounty hunters to track down a seventeen-year-old girl?"

"Cheryl." The two young redheads turned around as Clifford Blossom walked over to them. "Who's your young friend?"

"Daddy, this is Mickey Andrews," Cheryl introduced "the man who's stolen my heart."

Mickey blushed as he shook Clifford's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Blossom."

"Likewise. Andrews," Clifford repeated in a curious tone "are you by any chance related to a Flynn Andrews?"

"Pap Flynn? He was my great-grandfather." Mickey's eyebrows creased together as he asked, "did you know him?"

"Not as well as my grandfather did. They served in World War Two together," Clifford informed "in fact, when my grandfather's boat was shot down on Normandy beach, your great-grandfather jumped off his battleship and carried my grandfather to shore."

Mickey's eyes widened. He knew Pap Flynn was knighted for his service, but he had no idea that he saved a man's life. Much less the ancestor of somebody he knew.

Clifford Blossom smirked at the awestruck look on the children's faces. "If it weren't your great-grandfather, the Blossoms would not be here today. You've made a good choice, Cheryl." And he walked off.

"My great-grandfather saved your great-grandfather's life," Mickey smirked as he let those words sink in "I can't believe it."

"What do you think they would say if they could see us together?" Cheryl wondered.

"If Pap was anything like Grandpa Artie, he'd probably crack open a bottle of scotch, make a toast, and ask when the wedding is."

Cheryl chuckled. "Come on, let's find my brother's killer."

Mickey felt his smile waver. "Right."

* * *

Throughout the whole search, Mickey felt like he was walking through a field of landmines. Every bird that took to the air, every branch that snapped made the blue-eyed twin jump in hope and fear that Polly had been found.

He didn't even know where to place himself in the search party. Being in the front meant gave him the opportunity to try and coax Cheryl into being lenient with Polly, but that would make it harder for him to slip away if she was spotted. Staying in the back would allow him to remain covert, but it also meant he'd probably be the last to know when Polly was seen. And the middle had no strong advantages. So, he chose the front.

The auburn-haired baseball player walked side with his girlfriend through the woods, while Vegas sniffed the ground for any trance of a scent.

"Are you okay, Teddy Bear?" Cheryl asked as she noticed the solemn look on his face. "You seem quiet."

The young construction worker sighed. "Rosie, I know how important finding your Jason's killer is to you," he acknowledged "and I agree that Polly might know something about what happened to him. But Jason loved Polly," Mickey reminded "and I'm pretty sure that she loved him too. And even if Polly did have some sort of breakdown from getting high or skipping her meds, I just can't believe that-,"

At that moment, Vegas let out a loud bark, the Labrador Retriever jumping up and down as his leash kept him from running off.

"I think he found something. Everyone," Cheryl called back to the rest of the group "over here!"

The second Cheryl's back was turned, Mickey and Vegas took off, hoping to put as much distance between Polly and the Blossoms as possible.

"Mickey, wait!" Cheryl shouted.

But he didn't. Instead, he just ran harder. The blue-eyed twin quickly ran up a small hill, following his dog as they disappeared from the sight of the search party. Mickey came to a skidding stop as he found Vegas behind a small boulder, his tail wagging happily as he stopped in front of a familiar face.

Mickey became a statute as he watched his dog play with a young woman with blonde hair, his voice getting caught in his throat as he croaked out. "Polly?"

The young woman looked up at the sound of her name, a massive grin spreading across her face at the sight of her best friend. "Mickey!" Polly gasped as she threw her arms around the blue-eyed twin, her soft green eyes swelling to the brink with tears. "It's you."

Mickey felt his throat clench up as he held her in his arms, his voice turning into a quiver mess. "I missed you, P."

Polly took a shaky breath. "I missed you, too."

Mickey frowned as he felt a strange weight press against his stomach, pulling away from Polly as he noticed her swollen belly.

Mickey's heart stopped. His face turned pale. His stomach sank to his knees as he said the words. "You're pregnant."

Polly smiled as she wrapped an arm around her womb, only to jump as she heard a pack of dogs barking in the distance. "Mickey, what's going on?"

Mickey felt his blood turn cold. "You need to go. Now."

"Go? Mickey, what are you-,"

"The Blossoms think _you_ killed Jason!" he revealed, earning a shocked look from Polly "You need to get out of here now!"

"And go where?" Polly questioned "Where are I supposed to go?"

Mickey paused for a second as he came up with an answer. "Northwest. Foxwood Forest. Reggie and I will find you," he promised "now GO!"

With no time to lose, Polly ran off as fast as she could and disappeared behind within the trees, causing Mickey to let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. For now. Pregnant and still on the run, but safe. As he and Vegas headed back down the hill, he noticed that Blossom's search party wasn't heading due east, towards him. They were going Southwest.

* * *

Archie walked side by side with Betty through the woods that afternoon, a nervous look on the brown-eyed twin's face as spoke. "Betty? I'm sorry about everything that's happened with your sister," he apologized "and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

Betty gave her best friend a permissive smile. "It's okay, Arch."

"No, it's not," Archie disputed firmly "When my mom left, you were there for me every step of the way until I got better. I should've been there with you at the Sisters of Quiet, whatever," he insisted with a sigh "but I was to busy with a stupid talent show to help."

"Archie, you did try to help. You offered to come with us to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy," Betty reminded "You were there for me, Arch. Just like you always have been," the blonde-haired girl reached over and took his hand. "just like you're here now."

Archie smiled. How was it that she always knew just what to say to make him feel better, even when her own life was a mess?

"Besides, it's not like I was alone. Juggie went with me."

There it was again. That strange feeling. That unexplainable guilt-fueled pain in Archie's heart. "Right. Jughead. Betty, can I ask you something?" he requested "this morning, you made it sound like your parents didn't send Polly because of some breakdown. So, what really happened?"

The blonde-haired girl paused. "Promise you won't tell Mickey?"

"I know you're mad at my brother," Archie acknowledged "but he really does just want to help Polly."

"He betrayed her, Archie," Betty protested "my sister trusted him with the biggest secret of her life, and ran straight to my parents with it."

"Because he was worried about her," Archie paused before revealing "Last spring, Polly stopped taking her meds."

"What?"

Archie nodded. "That's why Mickey was so worried. Now I know you don't agree with what he did, but he was only trying to help her. And if it hadn't been for him, whoever killed Jason might've killed Polly too."

Betty blinked. She never thought of it like that.

At that moment, Archie reached into his pocket as his phone went off, revealing a text from his brother.

 _911\. Blossoms incoming._

Archie paled. "Uh-oh."

"What's wrong?' Before Betty could get a response, she saw it: the Blossoms marching towards them.

"Alice Cooper," Penelope snarled at the blonde matriarch. "Where is she? Where's Polly?"

The small-town reporter scoffed. "If I knew, do you think I would be out here, with the mosquitoes?" Alice gave the scarlet-haired mother a cold glare "Or that I would tell you?'

"Face facts, Mommy dearest," Cheryl commented coldly "Polly killed Jason. I bet that was her plan all along," she theorized "seduce my brother just so she could break his heart and take his life."

Betty scowled. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her nails dug into the skin of her palms. "Take it back," she demanded in a low, dark voice "I said take it back!" Betty shouted. The blonde-haired girl snarled as she lunged at Cheryl, swinging wildly as Archie and Jughead her back, the girl next door screaming at the top of her lungs. "Take it back! Take it back!"

"Betty!"

The blonde-haired girl blinked at the sound of Archie's voice, a dazed and disoriented look spreading across her face.

After a moment of surprise, Cheryl let out a dark laugh. "There's that Cooper craziness again. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

"What are you talking about?" Jughead demanded.

"I'm talking about the fact that Betty Bonkers over here threatened my life two weeks ago," Cheryl revealed "I believe her exact words were 'Get out of my house before kill you'?"

All eyes made their way to Betty Cooper, a dazed and confused look on her face. "That's not true. I told you to leave," she disputed, in a voice that sounded more like she was trying to convince herself "that's it."

"Maybe you should check with the voices in your head," Cheryl suggested.

"Betty," Archie gave his best friend a worried look, the blonde-haired girl trembling as she leaned against him to stay upright, her soft green eyes welling to the brink with tears as she took off into the woods. With Archie right behind her. "Betty, wait!"

"Tell me Alice," Penelope asked with a dark gleam in her eye. "How does it feel to be a mother of psychopaths?"

* * *

Archie found Betty sitting alone on a rock in the middle of a small clearing, the ground covered with damp autumn leaves as she cried.

"Betty?" Archie spoke in a soft delicate voice, nervously approaching his best friend as he sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"

The high-school journalist silently shook her head, letting out a sniffle as she continued to cry.

"Don't worry about what Cheryl said," he told her "I know that's not true."

Betty's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't." The blonde-haired girl's heart starting pounding in her chest as she stared at the ground. "There's something very wrong with me, Archie."

The varsity football player felt his eyebrows knit together, the frightened tone in Betty's voice making him more and more worried. "What do you mean?"

"When Cheryl started saying those things about Polly, I got so angry," Betty described "It was like, an explosion inside me. And when you said my name, I realized that I couldn't remember when you and Juggie grabbed me. Or why. And then, I felt this." Betty took a nervous breath as she turned over her hands, revealing the bloodied marks on her palms.

Archie eyes widened as he stared at the wounds, an overwhelming pit of fear swallowing his stomach when he realized that they were self-inflicted.

"This isn't the first time this has happened." Betty she told him "Whenever I get angry or stressed out, I get these… gaps in my memory. And when I come to," Betty became silent for a moment, glancing down at her wounded hands.

Archie's eyes stayed locked on his best friend's palms, a single question racing through his head. "How long has this been happening?"

"Since the summer. During my internship. All the other girls were so talented, Archie. I had to stay up half to night just to keep up. I overworked myself so much that sometimes…I'd forget to take my medication," Betty confessed, earning a shocked look from Archie.

"Have you been taking it since you got back?" he asked "Regularly, I mean?"

"Yes? I mean, I think so. I don't know." Betty squeezed her eyes shut as she placed both hands on the side of her head, trying to make sense of her scattered memories.

As Archie tried to find the words to comfort her, he remembered a conversation he had with his brother. "Betty, do you remember when you and Veronica were at Ether Muggs' place? When you were investigating Chuck?"

"Um," the blonde-haired girl blinked slowly as she fought to remember, desperately putting the pieces in place. "I remember going over to Ethels, getting Chuck into the hot tub, texting Mickey to come over, putting a truth serum in Chuck's drink. I think I was drinking too," she added worriedly.

"And then?"

"Nothing." Betty's eyes widened in horror. "Nothing. The next thing I knew, Mickey and Reggie showed up and told us to leave."

Archie's stomach fell to his ankles. "Betty, Mickey was at the Taste of Riverdale when you called him. That's almost thirty minutes from Ethel's.

"Thirty-?" Betty felt sick to her stomach. Her blackouts had always been brief, five minutes at most. But half an hour? What if that wasn't even her longest one? What if she had blacked out for hours at a time and never even realized it? "Archie," Betty's face became that of a frightened child "What's happening to me?"

Archie stayed silent as his best friend stared at him desperately. In the end, there was only one solution he could think of. "We need to tell your parents."

"No!" Betty quickly grabbed his hands as he attempted to leave. "Please don't tell my parents, Archie. Promise me you won't tell anyone," she begged "please. If my parents find out, they'll get rid of me," she feared "they'll send me to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, just like Polly. I don't to be like my grandma, Archie. I don't want to die alone."

It was her greatest fear. Hers and Polly's. When Betty was seven, Hal forced Alice to put her mother in a home in Vancouver. Two months, later Grandma Barnes died of a broken heart. Ever since they had been put on medication, Betty and Polly had feared that was their fate. To be abandoned and forgotten by their own family, left alone to suffer from a damaged mind.

"You won't," Archie placed both hands on the side of Betty's head, her face and eyes red from the river of tears streaming down her cheeks. "You won't die alone," he promised. "Not while you've got me. Betty, if your family won't take care of you when you're old, then I will. No matter what happens," he emphasized "whether you're writing Pulitzer articles for the New York Times or can barely remember what you had for breakfast. I will always be there for you and you will never be alone."

The brown-eyed twin gently wrapped his arms around his oldest and closest friend, letting her rest head on his chest as she continued to cry.

At that moment, Archie truly understood what Mickey went through this summer with Polly. Betty and Archie had always shared secrets before, but this… to know something so frightening and life-changing… it mad Archie realize just how much Betty truly trusted him. And how hard he'd have work to earn that trust.

"I promise I won't tell anyone," he pledged softly "but you need to promise me something. You have to promise me that you will take your medicine everyday, to tell me when you have another gap in your memory," he listed off "and to see the school counselor once a week. Promise?"

"I promise. I promise," Betty repeated, hearing how weak and thin her voice sounded the first time. "I love you, Arch," she whispered as he rubbed his shoulders.

Archie's lips slipped into a brief smile. "I love you too, Betty."

The two life-long friends sat in silence for a moment, the sound of a dog barking in the distance.

Archie frowned. "Is that Vegas?"

The two of them made their way towards the sound, unaware of Jughead Jones watching from the trees.

* * *

When Archie and Betty made their way back to the dueling search parties, Mickey and Vegas had only just arrived.

The Andrews family dog made a B-line for Archie the second he came into view, barking happily as the brown-eyed twin scratched behind his ears. "Hey bud." Archie's smiled faded as he spotted his brother with the Blossom's search party, the blue-eyed twin speaking to his girlfriend in hushed tones.

Concerned, Archie handed the dog's leash over to Betty and made his way over to the other redheads. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Your brother appears to have lost his nerve," Cheryl commented in a disapproving tone "He thinks Polly's innocent. He just told me that he saw her and that he let. Her. Go."

"Rosie, will you please let me explain?" Mickey pleaded.

"Oh, don't you dare 'Rosie' me," Cheryl snapped. "not after what you've done."

"Hey, take it easy," Archie advised, trying to keep the peace between Mickey and Cheryl.

"Typical."

The redheaded high schoolers turned around as Hal Cooper spoke up, a cold and spiteful gleam in his eye. "The Andrews siding with Blossoms."

"What are you talking about?" Archie questioned "I came out her with you guys."

"You mean Fred never told you? Your great-grandfather, Flynn Andrews, was the sheriff when my grandfather was murdered," Hal informed "And he was too much of a coward to arrest old man Blossom for what they did to my family."

Mickey jaw locked up. His blood started to boil. His eyes saw nothing but red. Did Hal really just call Pap Flynn, a man who was knighted for taking down five battleships, eight fighter planes and three submarines on Normandy beach, a coward?

He wasn't the only one. The second Hal uttered the word coward, Archie felt the sudden urge to punch Betty's father right in the face. "Pap Flynn risked his life to protect others. He was a hero," he stated, silently daring Hal to say anything to the contrary.

"I'm sure he was," Hal granted "until he jumped into the Blossoms' pocket. I guess ol' Pap Flynn didn't think he got the hero's welcome he deserved when he came home."

"You have got some nerve." Mickey's eyes blazed with fury as he marched over to the head of the Cooper family, jabbing a finger in his face as he snarled. "You insult my family, accuse me and my brother of selling out Polly, when _you_ put your pride before your own daughter?"

"Excuse me?"

"You didn't send Polly away because she's sick. You did it just to protect your own ego!" Mickey snapped "Because you'd rather have the whole world think that your first born was psychotic killer than admit that _Jason got her pregnant!"_

At that moment, a shocked silence fell over the crowd, slowly turning into a series of stunned whispers as Cheryl asked. "What did you say?"

Before Mickey could say another word, Alice Cooper stepped up, announcing in a loud and clear voice. "Polly is pregnant. With Jason's baby," she confirmed "so before any of you even think about accusing my little girl of murder, ask yourselves: why would she hurt the father of her child?"

As the crowd began to disperse and head home, Mickey spotted Cheryl wandering away from her parents, her face locked in a shocked and guilt-ridden gaze.

"Cheryl."

Before he could even take a step, Mickey felt Hal gab him by the arm and pull him close, a murderous glare in the small-town journalist's eye as he snarled. "That was not your truth to tell."

As Mickey prepared to show Hal the Andrews family left hook, Alice intervened, pulling the blue-eyed twin out of her husband's grasp. "You're right. We should've done if from the start."

Confused, but appreciative of Alice's help, Mickey walked away and made his way through the woods, running into his brother as he looked for Cheryl. "Hey."

"Hey," Archie repeated "you okay?"

"My best friend is running for life in the woods, scared, tired and pregnant," he listed off "My girlfriend is probably furious with me, and I'm pretty Mr. Cooper wants to fight me," Mickey recapped "I'm having a great day."

"Mickey, this isn't your fault," Archie reiterated "don't you know what this means? Thanks to you, Polly and her baby are still alive. You didn't just save one life, you save two."

"I don't know about that."

"I do," the brown-eyed twin sighed as checked the time on his phone "We better get home, we got dinner with the Joneses in an hour."

"I'll meet you at home," Mickey responded, "I need to talk to Cheryl first."

As Archie headed off, Mickey spotted Reggie walking towards him, a stunned look on the football captain's face. "Bro, Jason knocked up Polly? That's insane."

"Yeah. This day just keeps getting crazier. Reg," the blue-eyed twin spoke to his best friend in a hushed tone "I know where Polly's going. If head out tonight, we can find her. You with me?"

"Tonight? I kind of had plans," Reggie sighed at the pleading look his best friend's face "Alight. I'm in."

"Reg," Mickey gave his best friend a grateful smile "you're a legend."

"You know it," Reggie confirmed, giving him a fist bump. "Hey, you think Polly being pregnant will slow the Blossoms down?"

Mickey sighed. "I have no idea."

* * *

"Archie."

The varsity quarterback turned around as Veronica Lodge called out to him, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of the girl from New York city.

"How would you like to partake in some late-night mischief with yours truly?" the raven-haired princess offered.

Archie tiled his head, his cheeks growing warm at the playful tone in her voice. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Clubbing. Things have been a tad...stressful at home since our parent's affair has come to light," Veronica admitted "and in my experience, nothing quite cures the blues like dancing the night away. Want to join?"

"I don't know Ronnie," Archie looked her uncertainly "I'm not really into the night life."

"Oh, come on Archiekins," she pleaded "let's see some of those fancy moves of yours."

There was that name again. Archiekins. It was so corny. Like, the definition of corny. By all sense of logic, Archie should've cringed with embarrassment everytime Veronica sad it. Instead, all it did was fill him with an addictive rush, never failing to bring a smile to his face. It was the way Veronica said it that made Archie feel this way. Playful, yet deeply intimate at the same time. It reminded him how Mary used to call his father Freddie. How Cheryl called Mickey Teddy Bear. And how the Andrews men never seemed able to resist when beautiful women gave them pet names. But that didn't mean Archie had forgotten who he was with. "Can I bring Valerie?"

Veronica felt her smile waver at the mention of Archie's girlfriend. "Of course. The more the merrier."

* * *

Mickey found Cheryl standing alone in the woods, silently looking out toward Sweetwater river with her back to him.

Mickey's voice came out soft and nervous. "Rosie?"

Cheryl didn't move an inch, keeping her eyes locked on the horizon. "She's showing, isn't she?" After a moment's silence, Cheryl finally turned around and looked Mickey in the eye, a wounded and remorseful look in her dark brown orbs. "That's why you let her go, isn't it?"

Mickey said nothing, the look on his face providing all the answers she needed.

"I tried to send the mother of Jason's child to prison," Cheryl stared at the ground in self-disgust "What kind of person does that make me?"

"The kind that wanted to get justice for her brother." Mickey walked over and took Cheryl's hand in his. "You didn't know."

"You did," Cheryl looked up and gazed into Mickey's pale blue eyes. "You never thought Polly killed Jason, did you?"

Mickey simply shook his head.

"Then why did you join my search party?"

"To protect Polly," Mickey answered reluctantly, "I didn't want to see go to prison."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You Polly have always been close."

Mickey frowned as he heard the disdain in her voice. "Cheryl, why do you hate Betty and Polly so much?"

"I don't."

"You've been picking on them since middle school," Mickey reminded "You tear them down every chance you get. Why? I mean, I get why your dads hate each other but-,"

"I don't hate them. I'm jealous of them," Cheryl confessed "Say what you want about the Coopers, but anyone can see how much they adore their daughters. They're in the front row of everyone of Polly's plays and Betty's soccer games. I wish my parents cared half as much as Betty and Polly's."

Mickey frowned. "I've seen your parents at the footballs games."

"When they have nothing better to do. But they have never once come to any of my cheer competitions or my swim meets," Cheryl's voice shrunk as she added "and then there's you and Polly."

"Me and Polly?"

Cheryl nodded. "The Andrews and the Coopers have been a match set for as long as I've known you. Everyone knows Betty has her eyes on Archie. And since you always interfered with her relationship with Jason, I thought-,"

"Thought what?" Mickey asked as her voice trailed off "that I wanted to be with Polly?"

Cheryl said nothing, her dark brown eyes shifting their gaze to the ground only to shoot back up as Mickey started to laugh. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I thought I was going to be the jealous one," Mickey chuckled "Cheryl, look at you. Half the guys in town would give up their left arm just to be with you. When I went to Chicago, I was afraid I'd have to fight half the football team just for a shot to get you back. Cheryl Rose Blossom, you are the biggest bombshell this town has ever seen," he told her "and you're telling me that you're jealous of the girl I used to call my sister back in grade school?"

Cheryl stayed silent for a moment, her eyes locked on her shuffling feet as she asked. "You really think I'm a bombshell?"

Mickey smirked as a teasing grin spread across her face. "Yeah, I do." The blue-eyed twin smiled as he slipped his hands around Cheryl's waist. "A beautiful, confident, sexy bombshell. One that has absolutely no need to be jealous of Polly Cooper," he promised "now that Sabrina girl," Mickey chuckled as Cheryl swatted his arm. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Like I told my dad, I like redheads."

After receiving a soft, reassuring kiss, Cheryl noticed the content look on Mickey's face start to fade. "What's wrong?"

"My dad. He said Pap Flynn was a fisherman after World War Two," Mickey sighed as he stepped out of Cheryl's embrace, looking out at Sweetwater River, remembering the alleged stories of his great-grandfather working those very waters. "Do you think what Mr. Cooper said is true? That Pap was a dirty cop?"

"I have no idea. All Daddy ever told me about the death of old man Cooper was that he got what he deserved."

Mickey glanced over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Old man Cooper was a raging alcoholic," Cheryl informed "One night when they were working on the books, he and great-grandpappy starting arguing and old man Cooper pulled a gun on him. There was struggle, the gun went off, old man Cooper got shot and fell out the window into Sweetwater River. My great-grandfather killed him in self-defense."

* * *

Mickey sat with his brother in a booth at Pop's later that night, along with Jughead, Fred and FP, the two single fathers joking and reminiscing about old times as they celebrated FP's return to Andrews construction, making Archie and Jughead hopeful for the future.

Fred tilted his head as he stared at his son. "You okay, Mickey?"

The blue-eyed twin sat silently in his seat, picking at his food while the others drank their milkshakes. "Dad…Mr. Cooper said something today. About Pap Flynn."

The small-town business owner straightened up. "Oh?"

"He said that Pap used to be the sheriff," Archie chimed in, wanting the same answers as his brother "back when the whole Blossom-Cooper family feud got started."

"A corrupt sheriff," Mickey gave his father a questioning look "You said Pap was a fisherman. That he got his fill of adventure after the war."

"And he did," Fred stated firmly "which is why he thought policing a tiny Northeastern town in the middle of the woods would be a good way to ease into retirement."

"So he was a cop," Archie confirmed.

Fred took a deep breath. "Yeah. For about a year. Right up until sentencing on the Cooper murder."

Mickey felt a lump form in his throat as he asked. "Was he dirty?"

"No," Fred answered almost instantly "of course not."

"So then why does Mr. Cooper think he was in old man Blossom's pocket?" Archie questioned.

"Probably because of how they were," Fred assumed "Pap and old man Blossom were war buddies. They were both stationed at Normandy beach."

"Where Pap saved his life," Mickey finished.

Fred's eyes widened slightly. "How did-?"

"Mr. Blossom told me," Mickey answered.

"Right. Well, to return the favor, old man Blossom paid for the Andrews family migration to America in full," Fred went on "And set up Pap with a job as the new town sheriff."

"So Cheryl was telling the truth?" Mickey asked, "old man Blossom killed old man Cooper in self-defense?"

"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" FP asked "talk to the Coopers, and they'll tell you old man Blossom was degenerate gambler who got in bed with the mod to pay off his debts."

"And according to the Blossoms, old man Cooper was a drunk who carried a gun and slapped his wife around," Fred chimed in with a sigh "That's the problem with family feuds. No matter how far you track the bloodshed, there's always someone who can claim that it's the other side's fault. Yes, the murder was ruled as self-defense," he confirmed "But that wasn't good enough for the Coopers. They were convinced that Old Man Blossom killed his business partner, so he could keep all the profits and pay off his debts to the mob. And they made half the town think it too. It was the rumors that made Pap Flynn quit," Fred explained "the Cooper murder never seemed to sit quite right with him. And having the whole town question his judgement only made it worse. So, once his deputy was fully trained, he hung up and shield and became a fisherman. Just like I told you."

"I just can't believe our got caught in the middle of all this crazy Cooper-Blossom feud," Archie marveled.

"Everyone was caught in the middle of it. Sheriff Keller's uncle was the judge over the case," Fred informed "old man Cooper's body washed up right in the McCoy family's backyard. The Lodges ran the labor union at the maple syrup factory. The Joneses put all their money in Blossom-Cooper stock."

"Wait, what?" Jughead stared at his father. "Seriously?"

"A small fortune. One that went belly up the second old man Cooper turned up dead." FP chuckled at the stunned look on his son's face "Come on, boy. Did you really think we ended up with a name like Forsythe Pembolten without coming from money?"

"The Blossoms and the Coopers built Riverdale," Fred emphasized "and their feud nearly destroyed it." The construction worker glanced out the window towards the Everwoods forest "Something tells me that if Polly's name isn't cleared soon, Hal and Clifford are going to finish what their grandfathers started."

* * *

After dinner, Mickey got straight to work searching for Polly. He told Fred he and Reggie had to work on school project; and the second he saw his best friend's black Chevelle round the corner into Pop's, Mickey was out the door.

The blue-eyed twin walked side by side with Reggie in Foxwood forest, allowing Vegas to lead the way as the high school athletes waved their flashlights, their only source of light in the darkness, back and forth across the trees.

"Polly!" he shouted. "Polly!" Mickey sighed. "We need to find her, Reg."

"We will," he promised. The varsity captain wore a black bomber jacket over a navy-blue V-neck t-shirt, along with black jeans and black high-top sneakers. Reggie groaned as he stepped into a pool of mud. "Unbelievable. I had the chance to hit the club with two of the baddest babes in Riverdale tonight. And yet somehow, I let you talk me into treading around in the woods."

"We're going this for Polly, Reg," Mickey reminded.

"I know. Which is why I'm not leaving until we find her," Reggie promised "Hopefully before anyone spots us. You do know who the kind of people that hang out here at night, don't you?"

"Yes, and Kevin promised me that the cruisers don't come out until ten," Mickey assured him "Relax, Reg. Your rep's safe."

"Just checking," Reggie glanced skeptically at the Labrador Retriever walking in front of them, actively sniffing the ground for Polly's scent. "You sure Vegas can find Polly? He's not exactly a Bloodhound."

"He found Polly before." Mickey sighed at the mention of his best friend. How could he not see it? How could he not see that Polly was pregnant? Morning sickness, mood swings, all the classic signs were there. And all Mickey saw a drug addict. "I really let her down, Reg."

"Bro, will you relax?" Reggie demanded "As far I can tell, all you've done is bend over backwards for Polly. Now will you please stop beating yourself up about this?"

"Not until I know she's safe," Mickey vowed.

At that moment, Vegas let out a sharp bark, pulling the leash out of Mickey's hand as took off into the night.

"Vegas, stop!" the blue-eyed twin quickly ran after family dog, with Reggie racing right behind him.

"Looks like your pooch might be part Bloodhound after all," Reggie commented.

The high school athletes followed Vegas deep into the woods, where they found an unconscious girl lying on the ground.

"Polly!" Mickey's face turned white as he scrambled over to her side, his heart stopping at the sight of the expecting mother. Her ankle was bruised and swollen. Her face covered in a veil of sweat. Her skin had turned a sickly green. "Polly, wake up," he begged desperately "wake up, Polly."

The young mother-to-be let out a low moan, her pale green eyes opening ever so slightly as she spoke in a weak and weary voice. "Mickey?"

"Thank God," the blue-eyed twin let out a deep sigh of relief "You're going to be okay, Polly. You're going to be okay," he promised, draping her arms around his neck as he picked her up. "I've got you."

* * *

Archie could get used to the nightclub circuit. After having dinner with the Jones family, the brown-eyed twin went home, got changed, snuck out the back, picked up Valerie and headed off to meet Kevin, Josie and Veronica at Riverdale's hottest and only nightclub, the Roving Eye.

To be honest, Archie wasn't even that they could get in. But one wave of Veronica's black MasterCard and the bouncer let them in without even asking for ID.

Archie had never been to a club before. So he didn't really know what to expect. But once he got inside, he understood what all the fuss was about.

Bright lights. The hottest music. An endless supply of booze. It was like a house party. One that the cops couldn't raid for being too loud.

Truth be told, Archie probably spent a little too much time dancing with Veronica than he should have. Maybe it was all the scotch he drank. Maybe it was the way she looked in that dress. Either way, whenever he had the chance to be next to her, to hold her in his arms as she seductively swayed her hips to the beat of the music, Archie couldn't pass it up.

The brown-eyed twin huffed as collapsed on the couch as he, Valerie, Kevin, Josie and Veronica left the dance floor and made their way to their private booth, dressed in a black cardigan over a dark grey button up shirt, black jeans and black leather sneakers, a massive smile plastered on his face. "I can not believe we almost missed this."

"Thanks for inviting us, Veronica," Valerie said over the music, the songwriter of the Pussycats wearing a purple dress and knee-high black leather boots. "This is a blast."

"No problem."

"Drink up, girl," Josie instructed, handing Veronica her drink "you need to hydrate. You practically left your body on the dance floor."

"I wish, Josie. I wish," Veronica repeated "that I could just leave my body sometimes. Leave Riverdale," she added "and all this crazy drama."

"So, is any of this helping?" Kevin asked, "Your _Black Swan_ stand against your mom?"

Veronica felt a knife twist in her gut at the mention of Hermione Lodge. "When my dad was arrested, we lost everything. Our houses. Our cars," she listed off "Our club memberships. Even the clothes off our backs." Archie felt his heart begin to bleed as Veronica confessed "it was like my life was over. So, mom sat me down on my canopy bed, and told me that no matter what happened, there was one thing that no one could ever take from me: my name. And yet," Veronica's voice began to waver as she went on "that's exactly what she did. She took it. Like it was…nothing. Like _I_ was nothing."

Archie reached over and took her hand in his, gently running his thumb across her palm. He wished he knew what to say to her. To comfort her. To make her understand that in his eyes, she was anything but nothing.

Veronica felt her heart flutter as she locked eyes with the auburn-haired quarterback, the brown-eyed twin looking at her as if she were a precious gem.

Valerie felt a pit form in her stomach. "I'm going to get another drink."

"I'll join you," Josie announced.

The raven-haired princess and the ginger musician quickly pulled away from each other as the leader of the Pussycats gave them an icy glare, a storm of guilt stirring in Archie's stomach.

* * *

"Here." Mickey stood with Reggie and Polly in the Mantle's pool house, handing the expecting mother a warm mug of hot chocolate as Reggie wrapped her wounded leg "Caramel and marshmallows. Just how you like it."

"Thanks." Polly smiled as she held the mug in her hands, taking a long sip as she pulled the warm flannel blanket around her shoulders closer to her chest.

"There." Reggie sat crouched down in front of the mother to be, setting the athletic gauze around her swollen ankle as she kept her leg propped up on the coffee table. "Finished. It's not a bad sprain, but you should keep your weight off it for a few days. But then, what do I know?" Reggie shrugged casually as he got up "my parents are the real doctors."

"Thanks, Reggie."

"Polly, why did you leave the Sisters of Quiet Mercy?" Mickey asked "You could've been seriously hurt. You and the baby."

"What was I supposed to do? Just stay and wait for someone who would never come?" Polly glanced down at her swollen stomach, the pain in her heart flaring up at the thought of late Jason Blossom. She still couldn't believe he was gone. That he would never see their child's face. "I'm leaving Riverdale."

"What?"

"Jason and I made plans to run away to a farm upstate. It's where I still want to go. But I don't have any money. Or a way to get there." Polly gave her friends a pleading look "Will you guys help me?"

"Time out," Reggie announced, forming a capital T with his hands "you've been missing for almost five months. And now that you're back, you want to take off again?"

"Polly, you can't just leave," Mickey insisted "What about your friends? What about your family?"

"Mom and Dad want me to give up the baby for adoption," Polly revealed "That's not what I want. And I won't raise my child a house that doesn't want it."

"One week," Mickey knelt down as in front of his best friend, giving her pleading look "Just give us one week, Polly. Just a little time see if we can find you a place to stay in town. You can stay here with Reggie until then."

"She can?" the varsity football captain flinched as Mickey gave him an icy glare "I mean, yeah. Sure."

Before she could even respond, Polly jumped as there was a knock at the door, placing a protective hand over her stomach. "Who's that?"

Mickey just smiled. "A surprise."

Polly's eyes widened as Mickey opened the door. "Betty!"

The Cooper sisters cried out for joy as they were reunited, bringing a warm smile to Mickey's face. "We'll let you two catch up."

As the boys headed out of the poolhouse, Reggie glanced over at Mickey as he realized. "You didn't tell Polly that you called her parents."

"I know."

"Why not?"

"Because I just got my best friend back," Mickey answered "and I'm not ready to for her to hate me just yet."

* * *

"You're dating Jughead?"

After a tearful reunion, the Cooper sisters immediately started catching up, with Betty telling Polly everything she had missed. How Betty had joined the Rivervixens. Veronica Lodge coming to town. Mickey's new relationship with Cheryl. But what really surprised Polly was her sister's love life.

"Since when do you like Jughead?" she questioned "what happened to Archie?"

"I don't know," Betty blushed as she made the two of some more hot chocolate. Caramel and marshmallows for Polly, whipped cream and cinnamon for herself. "Jughead sort of… snuck up on me." The high school journalist sat down on the couch next to her sister as she handed Polly her drink. "and things didn't really work out with me and Archie."

"I'm sorry," Polly gave her sister a sympathetic smile. "I know how much you liked him."

Betty felt a stirring in her heart at the mention of the brown-eyed twin. "I'm…getting past it."

"Is that why you're with Jughead?" Polly asked, taking a sip from her drink "to get over Archie?"

Betty gave her sister a defensive glare. "Jughead isn't some rebound guy, Polly. I really like him. He's one of my oldest friends."

"I'm just saying, I've never seen you look at anyone the way you look at Archie," Polly protested "do you remember when we met Mickey and Archie?"

Betty smiled. "Of course I do."

* * *

 _Four-year-old Betty Cooper rushed down the steps on Saturday morning, dressed in a soft yellow sundress and white sneakers, her pale green eyes swelling to the brim with tears. "He's gone!"_

 _Alice glanced up from kitchen counter at her daughter's outburst, the young mother in the process of making breakfast for her family. "Who's gone?"_

" _Mr. Hopsy," Betty responded, mentioning her favorite toy. "I can't find him anywhere."_

 _Alice sighed. With Hal out of town on business, she was hoping for some quality time with her daughters. Not a borderline meltdown over a stuffed rabbit._ " _I'm sorry, baby." Alice gave her youngest daughter a sympathetic look as she started to cry. "Mommy will get you a new bunny."_

" _I don't want another bunny," Betty sobbed "I want Mr. Hopsy back."_

" _Okay, okay." Alice quickly took the crying girl into arms, setting the two of them on the couch as she rocked Betty back and forth. "Why don't I make us all some breakfast?" she suggested "and then, you and I can look for Mr. Hopsy together. Okay?"_

 _Betty nodded silently as she let out a sniffle, her mother drying her eyes as Betty asked. "Can we have blueberry pancakes?"_

 _Alice gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Of course we can, sweetie."_

" _Mommy." Five-year-old Polly Cooper came running over to Alice and Betty's side, dressed in a lavender sundress, an excited gleam in her eye. "The Blossoms are moving next door."_

" _What?" Alice chuckled "Polly, don't be silly."_

" _But I saw him," the little girl protested "Jason Blossom is moving next door. I saw him."_

 _Curious, Alice allowed her daughter to lead over to the living room window, where they saw a small van parked in front of the now vacant house across the street. The last owners of the that house, the Olsens, had only moved out a few days ago. And yet, it appeared that someone had already bought their home. Two adults made their way out of the car, a man with dark hair dressed in flannel and cargo pants and a redheaded woman in a long white t-shirt and light wash jeans, each one carrying an armful of boxes, with a pair of children tugging at their legs. Two little boys with bright red hair._

 _Polly gasped. "Two Jason Blossoms!"_

 _Alice smiled at her daughter's outburst. She knew that neither of those boys could be Jason, but she didn't recognize them from daycare or the playground. But she did know who the mother was. "Mary Collins?"_

 _Polly frowned. "Who's Mary Collins?"_

" _Her," Alice pointed to the redheaded woman across the street. "I went to high school with her. And if I'm not mistaken," the young mother's eyes narrowed as she stared at the man carrying boxes. "that's Fred Andrews."_

" _Can we go meet them?" Polly asked._

 _Alice smiled at her. "I think that's a great idea."_

" _Come on, Betty," Polly called "Mommy's taking us to meet the new neighbors."_

" _What about Mr. Hopsy?" The little girl protested._

" _We'll find him, Betty," Alice gave her youngest daughter a reassuring smile "I promise." The Cooper women joined hands and made their way across the street, where Alice called out to the young couple moving in. "Mary Collins?"_

 _The redheaded woman turned around at the sound of a familiar voice, coming face to face with a woman she had not seen since high school. "Alice Barnes?"_

 _The blonde-haired reporter gave Mary a smile. "It's Alice Cooper now. I see you and Fred Andrews tied the knot," she observed, glancing at Fred._

" _Nice to see you again, Alice. You live around here?"_

" _Right across the street. Looks like we're neighbors," Alice informed. The blonde reporter grinned down at the twin boys standing in front of her. One in a white t-shirt and blue shorts and another in a green t-shirt and jeans. "And who are these two?"_

"O _ur sons. Mickey and Archie," Mary introduced "Boys, this is Mrs. Cooper. She went to school with Mommy and Daddy. She's also our new neighbor."_

" _Hi, Mrs. Cooper." The twins greeted together._

" _Hello boys." Alice replied with a grin "now, which one of you is Archie and which one of you is Mickey?"_

" _I'm Archie," the one in the white shirt and shorts responded._

" _And I'm Mickey," the other one stated._

" _The trick to telling them apart is in the eyes," Fred advised. "Archie's are brown, and Mickey's are blue."_

" _I'll remember that," Alice promised "These are our girls, Polly and Betty. Girls, say hello to Mr. & Mrs. Andrews."_

" _Hello, Mrs. Andrews. My name is Polly Anabelle Cooper," the little girl introduced. "I'm five and a half."_

" _Hello Polly," Mary greeted with a smile "It's very nice to meet you."_

" _Hi Polly," Mickey greeted with a smile. "My name's Mickey."_

" _Like Mickey Mouse?"_

 _Mickey pouted. "I'm not a mouse."_

 _Polly giggled. "You're funny. Do you want to be my friend?"_

 _Mickey smiled. "Okay."_

" _Betty," Archie stared at the younger Cooper sister, a hopeful expression on his young face "do you want to be my friend?"_

 _Betty just shrugged, her eyes locked on the ground as she shuffled her feet._

 _Archie frowned. "What's wrong, Betty? Are you sad?"_

 _The little girl nodded._

" _How come?"_

" _I lost Mr. Hopsy."_

" _It's her favorite toy," Alice explained "she's had it since she was a baby. A stuffed rabbit."_

 _Archie's eyes widened. "A bunny rabbit?"_

 _Before Alice could even confirm his question, Archie turned around and raced into his new house, returning moments later with a smiling stuffed rabbit in his arms, a bright pink bow tied around its neck._

 _Betty's eyes lit up. "Mr. Hopsy!" the little girl grinned from ear to ear as she ran over to reclaim her beloved toy, holding it tight against her chest as she buried her face in its neck._

 _Alice was stunned. "How did you-?"_

" _Archie found it while we were showing the boys the house," Fred explained with a chuckle "the little guy was twisting our arms trying to get us to put up flyers to find the owner."_

" _Betty must've left it there when Jenny Olsen had her goodbye sleepover," Alice theorized._

 _Betty beamed at her new neighbor. "Thank you, Archie."_

" _You're welcome. Now will you be my friend?" the brown-eyed twin repeated._

" _Okay," Betty agreed. And then she kissed him._

 _It was a completely innocent kiss. A second-long peck on the cheek. But it was more than enough to make Archie's jaw go slack and his face bright red._

 _Mickey scrunched up his face in disgust. "Ew!"_

 _Polly laughed. "Betty's got a boyfriend," she teased in a singsong voice._

 _Fred chuckled. "Looks like our boy's a Casanova," he whispered into Mary's ear._

" _Must run in the family," she responded softly._

" _I'm glad you got your bunny back Betsy," Mickey told her._

 _The little girl giggled. "Not Betsy. Betty."_

" _I'm sorry," the little boy responded with a lisp, pointing to the hole in his smile. "I lost a tooth. My mommy said I'd get a new one, but I liked the old one better."_

 _Betty laughed. "Polly's right, you are funny. Mommy, can Archie and Mickey have breakfast with us?" she requested._

 _Fred and Mary shared a nervous look._

" _I think that's a great idea, sweetie," Alice agreed "Fred, Mary what do you say? It'll give us a chance to catch up."_

 _Fred and Mary glanced at each other. Neither of them were the best of friends with Alice back in the day, but if it would the boys make new friends… "The moving van won't be here for an hour or so. I suppose would grab something to eat."_

" _Great," Alice glanced down at the toddler twin boys. "I hope you two like pancakes."_

" _Yeah!" the children quickly grabbed their parents' arms and headed across the street, ready to form friendships that would last a lifetime._

* * *

Betty smiled as the memories came to an end, her cheeks growing warm as she remembered her first kiss with Archie Andrews. "I've had feelings for Archie for as long as I can remember. But recently, things have gotten…complicated."

Polly tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Betty paused before revealing. "He told me he loved me."

"What?" Polly's eyes nearly fell out of her head "When?"

"After the pep rally," Betty answered, "and this afternoon."

"He said it twice?" Polly could hardly believe it "You have been in love with Archie since you were four years old, and now that he finally says he loves you back, you pick Jughead? What, are you playing hard-to-get?"

"No, I'm not playing hard-to-get," Betty protested "and he didn't say the way you think he did, Polly,"

"Then how did he say it?"

"I don't know. Sincere. Unconditional. Possibly romantic?" Betty sighed. "I don't know how to explain what Archie and I have. But I know that we love each other. And right now, that's enough."

Polly nodded, not fully understanding her sister's decision but respecting it all the same. "So, to recap: Mickey is finally dating Cheryl, and you're with Jughead. Anything else I missed?"

Betty felt a scowl spread across her face at the mention of the blue-eyed Andrews twin, her hands slowly balling into tight fists.

"Betty?" Polly frowned at the angry look on her sister's face. "What's wrong?"

"Polly, there's something I need to tell you. About Mickey," Betty paused as she revealed "he's the reason you were sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy."

Polly blinked, confused and disbelieving look spreading across her face. "What are you talking about? Mom and Dad are the ones who sent me there."

"Because Mickey was the one who told them you were going to run away."

Polly stared at Betty in shock for a moment, putting the pieces together as she her broken heart began to shatter.

* * *

Mickey sat on the edge of his bed later that night, trying to come up with some sort of plan to help Polly, when Archie walked in, the brown-eyed twin struggling to stay upright.

"Where have you been?" Mickey questioned.

"Clubbing," the brown-eyed twin whispered with a slur "It was awesome. Whoa," Archie stumbled back as he tripped over his own two feet, only for his brother catch him as he fell. "Thanks."

"Ugh," Mickey scrunched up his face in disgust as the smell of alcohol oozed off his brother. "You reek. How many beers did you have?"

"Scotch," Archie corrected "Veronica introduced to me to this drink called a Rusty Nail. FYI, it's not made with real nails."

"I figured. Come on." Mickey draped Archie's arm around his neck while wrapping his own around his brother's waist leading him to the bedroom door.

"Where are we going?" Archie asked.

"Someone Dad can't hear you," Mickey answered "or smell you."

The Andrews brothers made their way to the garage, where Mickey gently laid his brother on the couch. "If Dad asks, you came down here to work on some music and fell asleep. Okay?"

Archie gave his brother a thumbs up. "Hey, Mick?" the brown-eyed twin glanced at his brother as he helped Archie out of his shoes. "Who's going to be your best man?"

Mickey gave his brother a look. "My best man."

"When you marry Cheryl," Archie clarified "who's it going to be? Me or Reggie?"

Mickey chuckled. "I think it's a little for that, bro."

"Oh, come one. Everyone knows you're going to marry Cheryl." Archie yawned as he rested his head on a pillow "You're going to get married, have two pairs of twins, and live happily ever after," the brown-eyed twin let out a sad sigh "and I'm going to be alone."

Mickey gave his brother a supportive look. "Give it time, Archie-Boy. You'll find the right girl for you."

"I think I already have," Archie muttered.

"So, tell her."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," Archie let out a yawn as he blinked slowly, trying his best to stay awake "Betty's…with Jughead. And Dad's dating…Veronica's mom."

Mickey's eyes widened. "What did you say? Archie," he called after a moment of silence "Archie." Mickey sighed as brother started snoring, grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch and draping it over him. "Guess we'll talk in the morning."

* * *

"I found you some pajamas." Reggie stood with Polly in the poolhouse, handing her a small stack of soft clothes as she sat on the couch. "You look about my mom's size."

"Thanks."

Reggie frowned as he noticed the solemn look on his friend's face. "You okay, P?"

Polly stayed silent for a moment, her heart in tatters as she revealed "Mickey told my parents that I was going to elope with Jason." Polly's eyes widened as she saw the look on Reggie's face. "You knew."

"Yeah," the varsity captain sighed as he sat down next to her "I knew. I'm guessing Betty told you?" he assumed.

"I just can't believe it," Polly felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered her time at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy "why would he do that to me?"

"Because he was worried about you. Mickey thought you were using Jason's product," Reggie told her "so he did the only thing he could think of to keep you from spending the rest of your life as a junkie. Look, you know how our boy gets," he reminded "the second he smells danger, he goes on high alert. Remember how he kept getting into fights with that Fogarty kid because he kept tearing down your sandcastles at the park?"

Polly let out the low chuckle, remembering the two eight-year-olds brawling like a pair of heavyweight boxers on the playground.

"Look, I don't know what you went through at the Sisters of Quiet Whatever," Reggie acknowledged "but I do know that Mickey has been driving himself crazy for months worrying about you. He went behind Cheryl's back just to protect you."

Polly was stunned. For Mickey to risk his future with Cheryl, the girl he'd been obsessed with for years, for her, it almost defied comprehension.

"Just think about that before you decide to stay mad at him," Reggie asked "okay?"

Polly nodded silently, rubbing a weary hand over her face as she sighed.

"I'll let you get some sleep."

"Reggie?" Polly gave her friend a grateful look he stood in the doorway "Thanks."

* * *

"Look who's up."

Mickey sat at the kitchen table the next morning dressed in a half open dark wash denim shirt over a black t-shirt, his bear pendant hanging freely from his neck, along with a pair of black jeans and sneakers, quietly enjoying breakfast when his brother walked in. "How are you feeling?"

Archie groaned. "Like I got poured out of a cement mixer," the brown-eyed twin winced as his dog started barking "not so loud, Vegas. Is dad up?"

"He already left for work. I told him I'd get you to school on time," the blue-eyed twin handed his brother a bottle of water and some aspirin. "You're going to need these."

"Thanks," Archie told him, quickly popping two of the aspirin into his mouth as he began guzzling down his water.

"I made you breakfast," Mickey informed, heating up a plate of bacon and eggs in the microwave. "So, how much of last night do you remember?"

"About ninety five percent?" Archie guessed "I remember getting to the garage, after that, it all gets kind of hazy." The brown-eyed twin furrowed his brow as he struggled to remember "Why? Did I say anything weird?"

"Well," Mickey smirked as he handed his brother his breakfast "you asked to be the best man at my wedding."

Archie laughed. "What?"

"Yeah," Mickey chuckled "apparently, drunk Archie thinks that I'm destined to marry Cheryl."

"Well, you have been saying that since middle school," Archie reminded.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make this last until Homecoming," Mickey told him.

"Why?" Archie asked, with a teasing smile "Is that where you're planning on popping the question?"

After sharing a laugh, Mickey felt a nervous look spread across his face. "So, there is one other thing that you said last night," he informed, earning an intrigued look from Archie "You said that you liked Betty."

Archie chocked on his breakfast.

"And Veronica," Mickey added, earning a mortified look from his brother. "Archie, I know you're with Valerie now. But I also know about the song you started writing for Betty," he reminded "and I see the way you look at Veronica everytime she calls you Archiekins."

The brown-eyed twin stayed silent for a moment, a confused and guilty look on his face. "Mick, from the moment I saw her, I knew Veronica was special. She walked into Pop's that night, and was like nothing else in the world mattered," he described "I finally understood what Dad meant when he meant Mom. Love at first sight."

Mickey nodded. He knew the feeling. He couldn't think of a time when Cheryl didn't make his heart stop when she walked in the room.

"And Betty. I haven't thought about her like this since middle school," Archie went on "and I thought I was over it. I thought that I was happy just being her friend. But after she told how she really felt…that she thought about being more than friends too, it just brought it all back to the surface. And now, everytime I see her with Jughead… I get jealous," he confessed shamefully, finally identifying the feeling he got when his best friends were together "I'm jealous of you too, Mickey. Of you and Cheryl."

"If you say you actually wanted her to kiss you at the party-,"

"No," Archie chuckled as he saw the jealous look in his brother's eye "I don't want to kiss Cheryl. I want you and Cheryl have," he explained "I meant what I said last night, Mick. I think you two can go the distance. And I want that. I want to be with someone that I've been crazy about since the moment I met her. Someone I can spend the whole night talking to. Someone who makes laugh even after the worst day of my life. Someone who calls me cheesy nicknames that for some one reason, I can't help but find adorable. I think I can have that with Valerie. But I know I can have that with Betty or Veronica. And I can't tell them any of this."

Betty was with Jughead. To go after her now would force Archie to stab both his best friends in the back. Veronica was Hermione's daughter. To go after her would force Fred end his first real relationship since Mary had left. Not to mention, choosing either Betty or Veronica could mean the end of B&V. The brown-eyed twin sighed. "I'm a mess, Mick."

"Archie," Mickey placed a hand on his brother's shoulder "I don't know who you're going to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe it's Valerie, or Betty, or Veronica or someone you haven't even met yet. But she's out there. And one day, you'll find here."

"Says the guy who's already with the girl he wants to marry."

"Once again, I'm just trying to get to homecoming," Mickey repeated "either way, whether find your dream girl or not, you won't be alone."

Archie smiled at the supportive look on his brother's face. "Thanks, Mickey."

"No problem. Now go get changed. Our ride will be here soon."

"Right," As he headed upstairs, Archie glanced over his shoulder "Mickey, am I bad person?" he asked, "for being Valerie when I still have feelings for Betty and Veronica?"

Mickey gave his brother a smile. "No, Archie. You're not a bad person. You just told me that you've found two girls you could spend the rest of your life with, but you won't go after them because just so Dad and Jughead can be happy. That doesn't make you a bad person in my book. It makes you noble."

Archie smiled, bringing a hand to the lion pendant around his neck as his brother echoed his grandfather's words.

"You're not taking advantage of Valerie, Archie," Mickey told them "you're moving on."

* * *

"We got a problem."

As the brown-eyed twin got cleaned up, Reggie Mantle arrived to take the Andrews brothers to school, a nervous look on his face as he ate half their Pop Tarts.

"My brother's coming home."

"What?" Mickey's eyes nearly fell out his head at the mention of Oliver Mantle. "When? Why?"

"It's his twenty-first birthday. My parents have been planning his party just for months. Ollie always turns the poolhouse into his private bachelor pad," Reggie reminded "if Polly's there when he gets back-,"

"We're screwed," Mickey finished "How much time do we have?"

"He's not leaving until he finishes his term project so, maybe three days?"

"Three d-," Mickey looked sick to his stomach "That's not enough time!"

"Time for what?" Archie asked. The brown-eyed twin walked down the steps after getting cleaned up, dressed in his grandfather's blue cardigan, a white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, the lion pendant fully on display around his neck. "Hey, Reggie."

The varsity football captain glanced at his best friend. "You didn't tell him?"

Archie raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what?"

"We found Polly," Mickey told him.

"What?" Archie's eyes widened. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Mickey assured his brother "she's staying in Reggie's poolhouse, but she wants to leave town. We convinced her to let us try to find her a place to stay in town, but thanks to Ollie Mantle's big birthday bash, our time limit went from one week to three days."

"What are going to do?"

Reggie gave Archie a look. "We?"

"Yeah, Reg. We. Polly's my friend too," Archie reminded "So how do we help her?"

Mickey could only think of one thing. "We call reinforcements. Veronica, Betty, Cheryl."

"I'm sorry," Reggie looked at his best friend like he was crazy "did you just say Betty and Cheryl? As in, some sort of B&C team-up?"

"Yep."

"Are you nuts?" Reggie asked him "Betty and Cheryl hate each other."

"But they both care about Polly's baby." Mickey insisted. "Cheryl's done trying to lock Polly up. Right now, all she wants is to be the best aunt her brother's kid has ever had."

"Mickey's right," Archie agreed "we need to bring the girls into this. The Blossoms and the Lodges are the richest families in town. They can help Polly get the money she needs to get her own place."

"And Betty might be the only one who can convince the Coopers to be a part of their grandkid's life."

Reggie sighed. "Alright. But don't blame me when Betty and Cheryl are at each other's throats," he warned "Look, let's just get to school, okay?"

"You mind if we got the store first?" Mickey asked, grabbing his leather jacket "I need to apologize to the wife."

* * *

Cheryl stood in front of her locker that morning before class, casually putting in her combination when she saw an unexpected sight: A box of chocolate kisses, a red rose and a hand-written note that read: _I'm sorry._

Cheryl took in a sharp breath as she looked at her gifts, remembering when the first time she found a box of chocolates in her locker.

* * *

 _Fourteen- year-old Cheryl Blossom hated Valentine's Day. When she was younger, she always thought of Valentine's Day as a day full of love and affection. Until today. When she didn't get a single valentine. Or so she thought._

 _As the young redhead put in the combination to her locker, she found a rose and a box of chocolates on the top shelf, along a with hand written note which read:_ _Happy Valentine's Day, Cheryl! If you want to who I really am, meet me at Pop's for a romantic dinner for two at seven o'clock. From, your secret admirer._

 _Cheryl's eyes sparkled. Her heart raced. Her face broke into a massive grin. The young teenager quickly looked around the halls, hoping to spot whoever left her gift. But there was no one there._

 _Filled with excitement, Cheryl grabbed her gifts and ran off to meet Jason at the main school doors, unaware that Mickey Andrews was watching her from around the corner._

* * *

"You can come on out now, Teddy Bear," Cheryl told him. "there's no need for you to hide anymore."

Mickey smiled at the sound of her voice, loving the fact that she knew he was there before he even made his presence known. The blue-eyed twin walked over to Cheryl and wrapped his arms wound her waist, resting his head on her shoulder as he stood behind her. "Does that mean I'm off the hook?"

"That depends. How did you get these in my locker?" Cheryl pondered.

"Josie. I promised her I'd do her history homework for a week if she'd give me your combination. Just like in middle school." Mickey gently tightened his grip on Cheryl's waist "I'm sorry I went behind your back. For what's it's worth, I didn't just do it to protect Polly," he told her "I knew you would never forgive yourself if you sent an innocent person away for Jason's murder. Especially if it was someone he loved."

Cheryl smiled at her boyfriend's kind words, her stomach instantly bustling with butterflies. "I'm sorry I was so quick to judge your best friend. I guess I just wanted you to be on my side."

"I am always on your side," Mickey promised, pausing for a moment before revealing "I found Polly."

"What?" Cheryl's eyes widened as she turned around took Mickey in the eye "When? Where is she? Is the baby alright?"

"Rosie." One word. That was all it took for Mickey to calm Cheryl down. One word in that soft, firm voice. "I promise I will tell you everything. But there's something we need to do first."

* * *

"Betts."

Betty Cooper looked up as she and Veronica sat on the couch in the Student Lounge, only to frown as she saw Cheryl, Reggie and Mickey looking down at her.

The blue-eyed twin gave his neighbor a pleading look. "Can we talk? Please?"

Reluctantly, Betty followed her classmates into an empty room, getting straight to the point as she asked. "What do you want?"

"What we all want," Cheryl answered "For the baby to be safe. How can we help?"

Betty scoffed. "You can't. I don't trust you, Cheryl. I barely trust these two," she stated, glaring at the boys.

"Ouch," Reggie commented "How did I end up on the Betty Cooper hate list?"

The leader of the Blue & Gold gave Cheryl a suspicious look. "Why would you want to help Polly? You think she's crazy."

"I do. I think she's crazier than a serial killer on bath salts," Cheryl confessed "so what? She is carrying Jason's baby. That changes everything."

"Betty, I know you guys don't get along," Mickey acknowledged "but Polly's baby is just as much Cheryl's blood as yours. Now, the only way we can help Polly is if we work together."

"Please Betty," Cheryl gave the blonde-haired girl a pleading look "tell me how I can be of help to my darling nephew or niece."

Betty sighed. "Fine. Polly needs money. For a place to stay and medical stuff."

"Cash? Is that all?" Cheryl asked in an underwhelmed tone "I'll just ask my parents."

"What?" Betty gave her a disapproving look "Cheryl no-,"

"Jason's baby is a game changer," the leader of the Rivervixens insisted "like it or not, we're all on the same team now."

"I can talk to my parents," Reggie offered "see if they're willing to take her on as a patient."

"My mom worked does a lot of work with single mothers in Chicago," Mickey added "she might be able to get me in touch with some shelters here in town," Mickey gave his neighbor a supportive look "We're going to figure this out, Betts."

Betty glanced over at Reggie and Cheryl. "Can you guys give us a minute?"

Without a word, the varsity football captain and the head cheerleader stepped out, leaving Mickey and Betty alone in the empty classroom.

"I just wanted to say thank you for finding Polly last night," Betty began "and that I appreciate everything you're trying to do to help her."

"But you don't trust me," Mickey assumed "do you?"

"I want to. But after everything you've done; calling my parents, telling the Blossoms about my grandmother?" Betty's voice began to waver as she went on "Archie thinks that you saved Polly when you called my mom this summer. And maybe's he's right," she granted "but she never would've been sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy if it weren't for you. And she didn't deserve that."

"I know. And I'm sorry," Mickey felt his throat clench up at the heartbroken look on her face "Betts, do you remember when we were little, and all the guys thought hanging out with girls was bad for their health?" he asked "Do you remember what I used to say when they caught me playing with you and Polly?"

Betty gave him a weak smile, reciting his childhood response word for word. "They're not girls, they're my sisters."

"You and Polly are my family, Betty. Always have been. And I know that I messed up," Mickey admitted shamefully "and I know that hurt Polly. But I swear, I was only trying to help her. But I'm going to make this right," he promised "no matter what it takes. I just hope that one day, you guys can forgive me."

"Mickey?" Betty spoke up as he attempted to head off to class, the blue-eyed twin stopping in front of the classroom door "I forgive you."

* * *

"I'm surprised to see you here."

Archie Andrews walked into the Student Lounge, sipping on a large cup of coffee when Veronica Lodge on the couch, the New York native dressed in a sleeveless plum turtleneck, a black pencil skirt and heels, her iconic string of pearls draped around her neck and a fresh cup of coffee in her hand.

"After last night, I expected you to be home sick." the raven-haired princess gave the auburn-haired quarterback a teasing smile "Archiekins."

Archie felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of Veronica's favorite pet name for him, trying to fight the inevitable smile spreading across his lips.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Bit of a headache," Archie informed "but I'll manage."

"I'm not surprised. You were getting pretty familiar with Johnny Walker last night. BTW, what teenager picks scotch for his intro to hard liquor?" Veronica inquired.

"The kind that comes from a very Scottish family," Archie informed "Johnny Walker's my dad's favorite. But you're right; It is nothing like beer."

"You should try tequila," Veronica suggested "It's a lot smoother than scotch. But, I warn you, it can get you pretty wild."

Archie's cheeks grew warm at the seductive tone in her voice. "I'll keep that in mind."

Veronica looked away as Archie licked his lips, remembering the last time she tasted them so long ago. She wanted to kiss him. Bad. But stealing Archie from Valerie? That was something the old Veronica would do. Not able to look him in the eye without blushing, the New York native noticed a glint of gold around the brown-eyed twin's throat. "This is cute."

Archie's heart raced as her hand skimmed across her chest, running her fingers across the lion pendant around his neck. "My grandpa gave it to me. Our family motto is on the back."

Intrigued, Veronica flipped over the gold pendant over in her hand, revealing, a series of strange symbols carved into the edges.

"It's Scots Gaelic," Archie explained, noticing the curious look on her face "it means 'strength in numbers.' Grandpa Artie was the last of us born in Scotland. He wanted to make sure we remembered our heritage."

"Sounds like my _abuelita_ ," Veronica commented "she was adamant that I have a classic _quencenera_ on my fifteenth birthday. Does he live around here?"

"Uh, no." Archie felt his throat clench up. "He died when right before my tenth birthday."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Veronica apologized quickly, letting go of Archie's pendant "What, what was he like?"

"A teenager trapped in an old man's body," Archie smiled as he remembered his beloved grandfather "He was a flirt. Like, a major flirt. Worse than Reggie. But he was a gentleman. He always treated women with respect. Made sure we did too." The young musician's hand drifted to the keepsake around his neck "His middle name was Griffin. And he thought it was so cool to be named after an animal that he made it a tradition. He named dad Colt and Uncle Owen Oxford. And he gave each one of us a medallion like this, each with our animal on the front," Archie's voice saddened as he went on "He used to call me his noble lion. And Mickey was his mighty bear."

"Is that why you guys don't like people using your middle names?" Veronica asked "because it reminds you of your Grandpa?"

"Maybe," Archie cleared his throat as his eyes began to sting, pinching the bridge of his nose he kept himself from crying. "Sorry. Sometimes it's hard for us to talk about him."

"Hey," Veronica placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving her friend a soft-eyed look "It's okay."

Archie felt his heart skip a beat at Veronica's touch, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading across his chest. "Listen, Ronnie, Mickey and Reggie found Polly last night," he informed her "and we were wondering if you could help find her a place to stay?"

"I can do better than that. Polly can stay with me."

Archie's eyes widened. "Really?"

Veronica nodded. "My mom and I had a heart-to-heart when I got back from the club, and long story short, she owes me," the New York native shrugged "I'm sure I can convince her to take in a young woman struggling with the burdens of single motherhood."

Archie was stunned. "Veronica, thank you."

There it was again. That look. The same look Archie gave her at the club last night. The one that made Veronica feel that she was more precious than diamonds and gold. She knew he was with Valerie, but when Archie looked at her like that, Veronica couldn't but her old self stir up inside her. The veronica Lodge that took whatever she wanted and screwed the consequences. The raven-haired princess felt a devilish smirk spread across her lips, a playful fire dancing eyes as she spoke in a low, husky voice. "Is there anything else you want to talk about, Archiekins?"

Archie felt his heart race at the sultry sound of Veronica's voice, her smoky, dark eyes pulling him into a seductive trance as the rest of the world faded into insignificance. "Just, that I had good time last night."

Veronica smiled as she remembered the two of them dancing in the club, the weight of Archie's body pressed against hers, the intoxicating rush of her hips swaying against his waist, the tickling sensation of his breath on her neck. "Me too."

As the two of them stared into each other's eyes, Mickey and Cheryl walked into the Student Lounge, a smirk forming on Cheryl's lips as she watched Veronica share a moment with her crush.

Mickey on the other hand, was more worried that Valerie would show up and take his brother's head off. The blue-eyed twin quickly cleared his throat, causing Archie and Veronica to jump as they pulled away from each other. "Are we interrupting something?"

"No," Archie responded quickly, guilty look on his face. "No. We were, uh, we were just talking about Polly. Ronnie thinks she can get her mom to let her stay with them."

"Interesting," Cheryl drew her eyes to the dark-haired cheerleader "Veronica, can I talk to you for a moment?"

As the girls walked out into the hall, Mickey gave his brother a questioning look, causing Archie's cheeks to turn almost as red as his hair. "What?"

"I cannot leave you two alone for one minute, can I?"

* * *

"So," Cheryl gave Veronica a teasing smile as they stood in halls, a guilty look on the New York native's face. "What's going on with you and Archie?"

Veronica's cheeks turned red. "Nothing."

"Really?" Cheryl asked in an unconvinced voice "Because Josie told me that you two were getting particularly cozy on the dance floor last night," she informed "and now Mickey and I catch you in pre-kiss?"

"We were not about to kiss," Veronica protested.

"Of course, you weren't," Cheryl agreed sarcastically "you two were just undressing each other with your eyes. Honestly Veronica, sometimes I just don't understand you," she huffed "you say you won't claim Archie out of respect for your new besty's feelings, and now that Betty is lip-locking with Hobo Jones, you still won't make a move?"

"Because I don't want to hurt anyone," Veronica stated "Archie has a girlfriend. He's dating Valerie," she reminded "one of my fellow Pussycats. And I don't want to have to stomp all over her feelings with my metaphorical stilettos just to get what I want. No matter how bad I want it."

Cheryl Blossom stared at her friend for a moment, surprised at her newfound sense of integrity. Truth be told, she admired her for it. "Well, if you ask me, it's only a matter of time before Archie and Valerie crash and burn. And then, Archie will be all yours, free and clear."

Veronica gave her friend a vulnerable expression. "How can you be so sure?"

Cheryl just smiled. "Because he looks at you the same way Mickey looks at me."

* * *

"Betty, wait up."

Betty Cooper turned around as Archie Andrews called out to her in the halls, a familiar feeling flickering in her heart at the sight of her next-door neighbor.

"I just wanted to check up on you," he explained "after the woods-,"

"I'm okay, Arch," Betty assured him with a smile "No memory gaps. No cut palms," she added, showing her bandaged hands "I took my medicine this morning and I have a meeting with the school counselor this Friday after school."

"Good. That's good. I'm sorry if I'm being overprotective or whatever," Archie apologized "I just want you to be okay. You know that, right?"

Betty gave him a surprised look. "Of course, I know that. I know how much you l-, care about me," Betty told him, grateful that she didn't use the word love. "and I appreciate you worrying about me, Archie."

"You helped me with my depression."

It wasn't something he liked to talk about. Archie's grandmother Shirley had struggled with major depression for most of her life, a burden that was greatly reduced when she met Grandpa Artie. Archie's depression was more situational, brought on by extreme levels of stress. He had only ever struggled with it twice in his life. When Grandpa Artie passed away and when Mary Andrews left town.

"Betty, whenever I was at my lowest, you were one who kept me from hitting rock bottom," he told her in a deeply grateful voice "so if these memory gaps don't stop, if you ever need someone to lean on-,"

"You'll be there," Betty finished "I know."

Archie felt his heart soar as Betty gave him a warm smile, remembering how she shone like the sun his dream. "Mickey told me you guys found Polly. You must be glad she's okay."

"Actually, Mickey and Reggie found her." Betty corrected "they said they found her passed out in Foxwoods Forest."

"Does that mean you and Mickey are friends again?" Archie asked hopefully.

"We're getting there." Betty's voice trailed off as she saw a sight that made her heart stop. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Archie turned his head towards where Betty was looking, where he saw a sight that made him sick to his stomach: Jughead Jones in handcuffs.

* * *

During their free period, Mickey and Reggie got to work looking for a permanent place for Polly to live. The first stop was the Riverdale Maternity Shelter, a group home for young and expecting mothers. The good news, it would give Polly a place to stay, set up doctor appointments and help her find a job. The bad news, it was on the South Side.

The high school athletes drove up to an old, run down brick building, with a weathered and weary roof, peeling paint on the doors, and cracked glass windows.

Reggie scrunched up his face in disgust. "This is your mom's great solution?"

After patching things up with Betty, Mickey called Mary and told her what really happened to Polly after they called the Coopers. An hour later, she sent him an email about the Riverdale Maternity home.

Mickey gave the building an uncertain look. "This is address she gave us."

"Get serious," Reggie scoffed "the place looks like it's ready for demolition."

"Reg, come on. This is the only maternity home in town," Mickey reminded "they can give her a place to stay, help her find a job."

"Yeah? What kind of job?" Reggie glanced skeptically as they passed a boy in a Southside Serpent jacket, walking away from the home "turning tricks on the corner?"

Mickey swatted his best friend's arm. "Let's at least check this place out, okay?"

"I still can't believe you're actually considering letting Polly Cooper live alone, with a baby, on the Southside," Reggie marveled.

"This place is only five minutes away from Jughead's trailer park, and fifteen from me and Betty. If Polly needs us, we can be there in no time," Mickey justified. "Besides," the blue-eyed twin gave his best friend an optimistic look "maybe it's not that bad on the inside."

Mickey and Reggie walked side by side into the weathered group home, entering a room with cracked walls and worn out wooden floors. The two boys skeptically surveyed the surrounding quarters, the small, cramped bedrooms filled to the brim with pregnant women and tired young mothers swaddling crying newborns.

Reggie huffed. "You're right. It's worse."

"Well, well, well."

The two Riverdale High students turned around at the sound of a feminine voice, finding themselves face to face with a petite young woman about their age, dressed in a sleeveless red flannel shirt, black cut off shorts, fishnet tights and black boots, her pink dyed hair tied into twin ponytails on each side of her head. "What do we have here?" she asked in an intrigued, patronizing tone "a couple of Northsiders visiting their baby mamas?"

Mickey frowned. "Who are you?"

"Toni," the pink-haired girl replied, "Toni Topaz."

"Your parents should've named you gorgeous," Reggie gave the young girl a charismatic smile "the name's Reggie. Reggie 'the Miracle' Mantle. And may I just say, any guy that would abandon you and your beautiful baby in a dump like this, is an idiot."

Toni pulled her arm away as Reggie attempted to kiss her hand, an unimpressed look on her face. "I'm not a resident. I'm a volunteer."

"Oh. Well," Reggie let out a casual chuckle "all the same, I'm sure you could make a beautiful baby. With the right partner."

Toni rolled her eyes at the suggestive tone in his voice. "Don't get any ideas Mr. 'Miracle'," the pink-haired warned in a playful voice "You couldn't handle me."

"I like a challenge."

"Down boy." Mickey grabbed Reggie by the collar of his varsity jacket, pulling him away from the girl from the Southside "Listen, we're not visiting anybody. We're checking this place out for a friend."

"Aww." Toni gave the boys a sarcastic smile "you want to send your baby mamas to the projects."

"Time out. We are not baby daddies," Reggie announced, "He's the uncle and I am just the uncle's best friend."

Mickey gave his best friend a look.

"What? You're dating the baby daddy's sister, so that makes you the uncle," Reggie rationalized.

"Does the uncle have a name?" Toni asked.

The blue-eyed twin shook the pink-haired girl's hand "Mickey. And my friend could really use your help."

"All the girls here need help," Toni replied in solemn voice. The pink-haired girl sighed as she walked over to the main desk, looking over the house records in an old, blue binder "So, tell me about your friend. How old is she?"

"Seventeen."

"How far along in her pregnancy?"

"Uh, five or six months?" Mickey guessed.

"Dad still in the picture?"

Mickey felt a knot form in his stomach. "He's dead."

Toni stayed silent for a moment. "Sorry. Look," the pink-haired girl pressed her lips together as she looked up from her book. "I'm going to be straight with you guys. I don't think we can help your friend. Look at this place," she told them, gesturing to the crumbling walls "it is literally falling apart at the seems. We're supposed to be government funded, but that money dried up once Mayor McCoy was elected. And the donations we get are barely enough to keep the bills payed. Our roof leaks in the winter, we've been filled over capacity for the past two months," she listed off "and the clinic where we set up appointments for our residents just got robbed last week."

"Yeesh," Reggie commented.

"Doesn't your friend have any family in town?" Toni asked, "anyone who can help her?"

"Her sister's only sixteen. And her parents want her to give up the baby. Please," Mickey gave the pink-haired girl a desperate look "there has to be something you can do. She's not just my friend, she's like my sister. And she is going to run away from her home, family and friends if we can't find her a place to stay here in town."

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something we could do," Toni replied honestly "if you really want to help your friend, then get her parents to help her."

* * *

After striking out with every possible place for Polly to live in town, the boys decided to regroup at Mickey's place, where they came across a very sullen Betty and Archie.

"Hey," Mickey frowned as he saw the sad faces on his brother and his neighbor "what's going on?"

Archie sighed. "Jughead got arrested."

"What?"

"Aha!" Reggie's face broke into a massive grin "I knew he killed Jason!"

Betty stared at the leader of the Bulldogs in shock and disgust "Reggie!"

"Jughead did not kill Jason," Archie disputed "they found his prints on the drugs from Jason's car."

"The only reason they found his prints is because he was the one who helped me find the car," Betty explained.

"Dad cleared things up with Sheriff Keller," Archie concluded "It looks like Jug's going to be staying with us for a while."

"Speaking of living conditions," Betty gave the high school athletes a hopeful look "did you guys find a place for Polly to live yet?"

"Not one," Mickey sighed as he collapsed onto the couch "She's too young to rent an apartment."

"What about the maternity home Mom told you about?" Archie asked.

"Packed to the max and falling apart," Reggie answered, "and don't get me started on the neighborhood."

"The only way Polly could get her own place is if she got emancipated," Mickey informed "that means a court case. One that could take months."

"Emancipated?" Reggie repeated.

"It's like divorcing your parents," Mickey explained "my mom sent me the forms along with the stuff about the maternity home. Polly would have to prove to a judge that her parents aren't able to take care of her. That's she's better off on her own."

"My God," Betty looked mortified "that could drive my parents away forever."

"Guys," all eyes drew to Reggie Mantle as spoke in a grin voice "we got a problem."

Mickey groaned. "What now?"

"Ollie just texted me. His buddies said they can finish the project without him and he's on his way home," Reggie informed "He'll be here by tomorrow morning."

"What?" Betty felt sick to his stomach. "Can't you convince your brother to stay in the house?"

Reggie scoffed. "Not if he wants our parents to know every time he brings a girl over for the night."

"Guys," Betty gave her friends a desperate look "What are we going to do?"

"The Blossoms," Mickey straightened up as he looked the blonde-haired girl from next door "Betty, I know about the meeting you had with the Blossoms," he informed "Cheryl told me that her parents are willing to pay for everything."

"Mickey, my parents hate the Blossoms," Betty reminded "if they found out she would rather stay with them instead of coming home, they may never forgive her."

"It's better than her run off to some farm in the middle of nowhere," Mickey rationalized "Betty, this feud between the Coopers and the Blossoms is whole reason Polly and Jason wanted to run away in the first place. It's got to stop."

Betty stayed silent for a moment, a million thoughts running through head as she sighed. "Call her."

* * *

Cheryl Blossom nervously walked into her parents' study early that evening, speaking to Penelope in a small, timid voice. "Mommy? Mickey called. He said that Polly's agreed to live with us," she informed "he wants us to meet them at Pop's in an hour."

Penelope's face morphed into a dark smile. "Excellent. You've done well, Cheryl," she praised, earning a small smile from her daughter. "Now, run along and tell them that we'll meet them shortly. And Cheryl," the scarlet-haired mother gave her a cold, warning look "make sure that nothing goes wrong."

* * *

"You okay, Mick?"

Archie sat with his brother at the counter at Pop's, the blue-eyed twin rapidly tapping his foot against the tile floor, waiting for Reggie and Betty to arrive with Polly.

"I've been better," Mickey nervously tugged at the bear pendant around his neck "Betty told Polly I that I called her parents."

"Oh," Archie gave his brother a sympathetic look. "Have you talked to her?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because she's the captain of the softball team, and I don't want to know how much heat she packs behind her fastball," Mickey vented "especially since I'm the one who taught her how to pitch."

At that moment, the bell to Pop's front door rang, as Reggie and the Cooper sisters walked into the diner. Mickey felt his stomach twist up like a pretzel as he and Polly locked eyes, a nervous and uncertain look on her face. With a growing lump in his throat, Mickey got up from his seat and walked over to his best friend, the two of them standing only a foot apart. "Hi."

"Hi," Polly repeated awkwardly.

"Uh," Mickey shifted his nervously "Cheryl should be here soon."

Polly glanced over to Betty and Reggie. "Can you guys give us a minute?"

Nodding silently, Betty and Reggie walked over to the counter, Archie, Jughead and the others sat.

Mickey felt his heart start pounding in his chest. "Betty told what I did, didn't she?" he presumed "that I was the one who called your parents?"

Polly nodded. "What I don't understand is why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to hate me."

"Hate you?"

"You and Jason were supposed to get married. You were going to start a family. And I messed it up," Mickey felt his voice start to waver as he croaked out "Polly, I am so sorry for what I happened. That I got you sent to that terrible place. I swear, I never meant to hurt you," he promised "It's just that… you were so sick last spring and you were acting weird, and if I had known you were pregnant-,"

Mickey words were cut off as Polly quickly threw her arms around him, pulling him into a warm hug. Polly looked Mickey in the eye as she pulled away slightly, giving him a soft, comforting expression. "You are my best friend, Mickey Andrews. You're the brother I never had," the expecting mother placed a gentle hand on her swollen stomach "and if it weren't for you, me and my baby wouldn't be here."

Mickey stared at Polly for a moment, speaking in a soft timid voice as he asked. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

"I don't have to," Polly said with a smile "because there's nothing to forgive. My parents are the ones that sent me to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, Mickey. Not you. So, stop worrying about me hating you," she told him "because that could never happen."

Mickey was amazed. "What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

Polly glanced up as the ceiling. "You called my sister Betsy."

Mickey laughed. "I was four and I was missing a tooth. Give me a break." The two teenagers laughed together then a warm smile spreading across Mickey's face. "I'm really glad you're back, Polly."

The mother-to-be grinned. "Me too."

The two best friends turned around, the door to Pop's rang again, revealing a very nervous Cheryl Blossom.

Mickey felt his heart skip a beat as the sight of his girlfriend, walking over to her as she entered the restaurant. "Hey." Mickey frowned as he saw the tense look on her face. "You okay?"

Cheryl said nothing, nodding silently as her eyes drifted over to Polly Cooper. The scarlet bombshell reached out to touch the expectant mother's swollen stomach, only to stop herself at the last minute.

"It's okay. Go ahead." Polly smiled as she brought Cheryl's hand to her stomach, allowing her to feel the life growing inside her.

Cheryl gasped as she felt the baby kick, pulling her hand away as a massive smile spread across her face.

"Looks like my baby's excited to meet their aunt Cheryl," Polly chuckled.

Aunt Cheryl. That was all it took for her resolve to break. "You need to leave," Cheryl ordered "now."

"What?"

"Cheryl," Mickey gave her a concerned look "what's going on?"

"I don't think my parents want to help Polly," she explained.

"I don't understand," Polly gave Cheryl a confused, nervous look "I thought-,"

"They want you out of the picture, Polly," Cheryl revealed "It's not safe for you at Thornhill. It's not safe for Jay-Jay's baby."

"Wait a sec. Cheryl," Mickey's eyes widened as he came to a sickening realization "are you saying your parents want custody?"

Polly felt a nervous chill run down her spine, causing her to place a protective hand over her stomach.

"Can they even do that?" Reggie asked. "I mean, the kid's not even born yet."

All eyes drew their resident legal expert, Mickey Andrews. "I mean, all court cases take time. But," Mickey felt a lump form in his throat as he confessed "I'd be lying if I said the Blossoms didn't have enough to start building a case."

Polly felt sick to her stomach. "I have to get out of here."

"Polly!" Mickey grabbed his best friend's arm as she bolted for door, forcing her to stay where she was. "I know that you're scared, but you cannot run," he insisted "the more you run, the more ammo you give to them to tear you apart in court."

"The Blossoms want to take my baby!"

"I know. I know," Mickey quickly placed both hands on the side of Polly's head, forcing her to look him in the eye, her pale green orbs swelling with tears. "and I won't let them. No one on this earth is going to keep you away from your baby," he promised "we just need to come up with a plan."

"What am I supposed to do?' Polly asked in a terrified voice "I can't go back to Reggie's poolhouse."

Archie got up from his seat. "Guys."

"What about those emancipation papers?" Betty suggested "If she gets emancipated, Polly can get her own place."

"That'll take too long. The only way to get around a hearing is if your parents willingly sign away their parental rights," Mickey stated

"My mom would never do that," Polly stated.

"Guys," Archie repeated.

"What about the maternity home?" Jughead recommended "Isn't it their moral obligation to take in struggling mothers in need?"

"Get serious Jones," Reggie insisted "that place is a dump."

"Wait. J might be onto something," Mickey disputed "we just need a place for her to stay until Oliver heads back to Berkley."

"And then what?" Polly questioned "What happens when Oliver comes back for Thanksgiving? Or Christmas? What happens when the Blossoms realize _I don't have a place to live?"_

"Guys!" Archie shouted, finally getting the attention of all his friends "Veronica has an idea."

"I just got off the phone with my mom," the New York native explained "and she said, that Polly can live with us."

"V," Betty gave her best friend a grateful yet insistent look "I can't ask you to do that."

"That's fine. You didn't ask," Veronica said with a smile "Polly, we have more than enough room at the Pembrook. And we would love to-," The raven-haired princess yelp as Mickey Andrews scooped her up in his arms, lifting her up into the air as he gave her a massive hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mickey proclaimed.

"No problem," Veronica chuckled as he set her down.

"We need to celebrate," Mickey insisted, "Pop! Round of milkshakes on me!"

The children drank many milkshakes that night, catching Polly up on all that she'd missed, reminiscing about the past, and hoping for the future. But as the night went on, Mickey and Veronica noticed something wrong with Cheryl.

"You okay, Rosie?" he asked.

The leader of the Rivervixens sat with Mickey and the others in the large booth in the back of Pop's, resting her head on his shoulder as she stirred her straw in her half-eaten strawberry milkshake, a distant and solemn look on her face. Cheryl forced a smile at her boyfriend's request. "Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're trembling," Mickey noticed, pulling her closer to him "Are you cold?"

"You look a little pale too," Veronica noted "Are you sure you're alright?"

Cheryl felt her heart start to pound as the others started to stare at her. She thought she could do this, pretend to be happy for her boyfriend and his friends. "Actually, I'm not feeling very well," she lied, stepping out of the booth "I think I'm going to head home for the night."

"You want me to come with you?" Mickey inquired.

"That's okay," Cheryl politely refused "I'm sure I'll feel better in over the weekend."

As the she walked alone to her car, Cheryl sent Josie a quick text, apoligizing for yelling earlier and asking if she could spend the weekend at her place.

Josie responded less than a minute later. _"Yes. R U OK?"_

Cheryl's hands shook as she held her phone, knowing full well what was waiting for her at home. _"4 now."_

* * *

Cheryl felt her heart desperately pound against her chest as she walked into Thornhill that night, her entire body trembling as she opened the front door to her family home. She did the right thing. Telling Polly not to come here. Cheryl knew that. But that didn't make facing the consequences any easier.

As she made her way through the empty halls, the Gothic heroine's proud and confident poise faded away, revealing the scared and heartbroken soul that lay underneath. As she walked into the family dining room, Cheryl felt all of her family's eyes lock onto her.

"Cheryl," Penelope's voice sent chills down her spine "Where's Polly?"

"Moving in with the Lodges." If looks could kill, Cheryl would've dropped dead right then and there. "Veronica…Veronica offered up her spare room at Pembrook." She managed, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. "I tried, Mommy. I tried to get her to come with me," Cheryl insisted, her voice becoming smaller and frailer with every word "but she wouldn't listen. P-Polly, Polly thinks that staying with the Lodges will give her a better chance of reconciling with her family."

Penelope stayed silent as her daughter spoke, walking over to her with an angry scowl on her face.

Cheryl's eyes went wide as her mother stood less than a foot away from her, her dark brown orbs quickly swelling with tears as she whispered. "Please don't be upset with me."

Penelope slapped her.


	8. Chapter 8: The Outsiders

Pain. That was the feeling Cheryl Blossom woke up to on Monday morning. Dull, throbbing pain. Her left cheek was red and sore. Her bottom lip was split down the middle. And a large yellowish-purple bruise covered her throat. Cheryl winced as she sat up in a bed that was not her own, remembering the nightmarish events that led to her wounds.

* * *

 _Penelope Blossom became a ball of rage as she mercilessly beat her daughter, spewing out a river of spiteful insults with every slap to the face. "You stupid, stupid, worthless girl!"_

 _Cheryl cried out in pain as she stumbled back against a wall, her eyes quickly swelling with tears of pain and terror._

 _"Penelope," Nana Rose felt her weary bones begin to tremble as she attempted to get up from her wheelchair "Stop it."_

 _But she didn't. Instead, Penelope grabbed Cheryl by the throat and squeezed tight, her nails digging into her daughter's skin as she snarled. "You let Jason's child, my grandchild, slip through your fingers? Into the hands of the Lodges!?"_

 _Cheryl let out a strangled gag as she struggled to speak, her vision blurring as she fought to stay conscious._

 _Just as the growing darkness began to take her, Penelope removed her grip on Cheryl's neck, causing her to fall to her knees as she coughed and gasped for breath._

* * *

Penelope gave her daughter one last hateful glare. "It should've been you that died at Sweetwater River."

That wasn't the first time Cheryl had been beaten by her mother. And knowing her luck, it wouldn't be the last. For years, Penelope had been beaten and abused her daughter for every little mistake, a nightmare that had only become more horrifying after the death of her brother.

As the gothic heroine got ready for school, a young girl in soft leopard print pajamas walked over, her dark bouncing curls tied in a loose bun, holding a cup of tea in each hand. Josie McCoy. Cheryl's closest friend and the only one who what really happened behind the doors of Thornhill.

After being strangled by her mother, Cheryl did as she always did and spent the weekend in her best friend's home, desperate to be away from her mother's terrifying shadow.

"You look better today," Josie told her softly, handing Cheryl a mug "the swelling in your cheek's gone down."

"Thanks." Cheryl winced slightly as she took a sip, the bruise on her neck making it hard for her to swallow. The leader of the Rivervixens furrowed her brow at the uneasy look on Josie's face. "No."

"No what?" Josie asked.

"You know what." Cheryl gave her best friend a firm gaze as she stated firmly "I won't go to the police."

For years, the Mayor's daughter had attempted to convince her best friend to go to the proper authorities, only to be shot down every time.

Josie let out a weary sigh. "How many times are going to go through this, Cher?" she asked, "How many times am I going to patch you up, just so you can go home and get slapped around by your mom?"

"Until I can find a way to help take care of my grandmother."

She was the first one to ever try to protect Cheryl. And the one who paid the greatest price. Three years ago, Penelope caught Cheryl going through her jewelry, looking for something special to wear for her meeting with her secret admirer. When she heard her granddaughter screaming, Nana Rose intervened, only for Penelope shoved the elderly woman down the stairs, paralyzing her from the waist down and causing permanent damage to her eye.

"I won't leave her alone with my parents. My mother could kill her." Cheryl felt her heart stop beating at the sound of her own words, a lump forming in her sore throat. "Josie, I appreciate all that you've done for me. But if you don't want to help anymore-,"

"Stop." The leader of the Pussycats bent down in front of Cheryl and took her hand, speaking to her best friend in a soft, firm voice. "Cheryl, I will never want to stop helping you," Josie promised "I just wish I could help more." After Jason Blossom went missing, Penelope began taking out all her rage and grief on Cheryl, a travesty that forced her to come to the McCoy home at least once a week, her face often covered in tears and bruises that made Josie sick to her stomach. "It's bad enough your mom's been hitting you more since Jason died. Now she's chocking you? It's only going to get worse-,"

"You don't think I know that?" Cheryl snapped "You don't I'm worried about what my mother might do to me? I'm terrified," she confessed in a trembling voice "but I'm more scared at what she could do to my Nana. She's is the only real family I have left. If anything were to happen to her," Cheryl's words stopped short as her heart stopped, the very thought of losing her beloved grandmother bring tears to her arms.

"Okay, okay." Josie quickly wrapped her arms around her best friend as she started to cry, gently rubbing Cheryl's shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know," Cheryl took a shaky breath as dried her eyes, blinking slowly as she fought to keep from crying anymore. "Can we just get ready for school please?"

Cheryl quickly got to work as she applied her make-up, covering up her wounds as she had many times before. Her concealer dulled the redness in her cheek. Her lipstick masked the bleeding lip. The bruise on her neck was new problem. Penelope had never chocked her before. But something told her it wouldn't be the last time. All the more reason to figure out how to hide sooner rather later.

After getting ready, Cheryl Blossom stood in Josie's room dressed in a black, long-sleeved turtleneck, a bright red skirt that stopped at the middle of her thigh, black knee-high boots, and a red faux leather jacket, her long scarlet locks draped over shoulder, casting a light shadow over wounded cheek. Cheryl took a look at herself in the mirror and felt a small sliver of satisfaction. No one would ever suspect she was hiding bruises. No one, except maybe him.

* * *

"You didn't have to give me a ride, you know."

Josie walked side by side with Cheryl as they made a quick stop on the Northwest side of town, the leader of the Pussycats dressed in a bright yellow leather jacket, a black tank top, dark jeans and leopard print heels, her iconic pussycat ears on her head.

"It's the least I could do after this weekend," Cheryl insisted "besides, I want to make sure you to get along."

"Oh, we get along fine," Josie assured her "when he's not trying to set me up with Reggie 'the Hound Dog' Mantle."

Cheryl rolled her eyes as the two of them came to a stop in front of a familiar small house, a smile spreading across her lips as a familiar face opened the door.

He was dressed in a green and white baseball tee, the snug fit of the fabric highlighting his sculpted chest and massive arms, the bronze Celtic pendant around his neck shining in the sun, along with dark blue jeans and white leather sneakers. Cheryl's Teddy Bear. Mickey Andrews.

The blue-eyed twin smiled at the sight of his girlfriend, running a hand through his slicked back auburn hair, making sure not a strand was out of place. "Hey."

"Hi." Cheryl felt a small sliver of relief as Mickey kissed her right cheek, the wounded side of her face still too sensitive for even the slightest touch.

"I barely heard from you all weekend," Mickey commented with a concerned smile "That bug you caught must've been really bad."

"You have no idea."

* * *

"You're bluffing."

"I am not."

Cheryl gave her boyfriend a disbelieving look. "You're telling me that gibberish is an actual language?"

Mickey and Cheryl sat side by side in the Student Lounge later that morning, playfully bickering while their best friends sat next to them as the four of them studied.

"Knock it off, Mantle," Josie warned, trying to enjoy her latte as she looked over her math notes. "I mean it."

"What?" The leader of the Bulldogs wore his varsity jacket over a black t-shirt, along with dark jeans and white Nike high tops, giving the mayor's daughter his best pair of sexy eyes. "I'm not even touching you."

"You are undressing me with your eyes," the leader of the Pussycats stated "And if you don't stop, I'm going to claw them out."

"Kinky. But I'm not afraid of the rough stuff beautiful," Reggie assured with a grin "I'd even be willing to let you tie me up."

Josie groaned. "You are out of your mind."

"Only for you, baby," Reggie confirmed in an almost sincere voice "only for you."

"It is not gibberish," Mickey protested "It's Scots Gaelic."

While Reggie attempted to seduce Josie, Mickey asked Cheryl to help him study for his oral French exam, when the blue-eyed twin to start speak in a dialect that no one could understand, Mickey explained that French was his third language.

Only Cheryl wasn't buying it. "Don't they speak English in Scotland?"

"Only because England conquered them along with the rest of world. But it is a real language," Mickey insisted "my grandpa taught it to us when we were kids."

"Prove it," Cheryl challenged.

"Okay. _Archie_ ," the blue-eyed twin called out to his brother as he walked in with his friends, speaking in their ancestor's native tongue _"Cheryl doesn't think this is a real language."_

The brown-eyed twin grinned. _"It's a good thing Grandpa isn't here to chew her out."_

Betty sighed. "Not again."

"Okay, who said Scotland?" Jughead demanded.

"Red did it," Reggie confirmed, pointing to Cheryl.

 _"It has been way too long since we've done this,"_ Mickey commented.

 _"I know,"_ Archie agreed _"It is so funny watching people try to figure out what we're saying."_

"This must be how people feel when my family speaks Spanish out is public," Veronica commented. "Hey, Braveheart twins. Speak English."

Archie chuckled. "Don't like it when the shoe's on the other foot, Ronnie?"

"I like this secret Scottish language of yours," Cheryl smiled seductively as started to run her hands across his arms. "It's sexy."

"Maybe I can teach it to you," Mickey suggested "Let's see if you can recognize this one: _Doll Leanabh_."

Cheryl grinned. "That means Baby Doll, doesn't it?"

Mickey nodded, his hearty skipping a beat as Cheryl climbed into his lap, giving him a soft lustful kiss.

"Say it again," she whispered.

" _Doll Leanabh,_ " Mickey repeated, earning another heart pounding kiss " _Doll Leanabh_."

"Ugh," Jughead groaned as the two redheads started making out "Get a room."

"Shut up, Jughead," Mickey snapped between kisses.

"Guys, can we focus please?" Betty asked "We need to talk about Polly."

Mickey felt his sex drive shut down at the mention of his best friend, a concerned look quickly spreading across his face. "How is she?"

"Not good." After getting her sister settled in a Pembrook, Betty spent the weekend with Polly and Veronica, learning what she could about Jason's death and rebuilding broken family bridges. "She thinks nobody wants her baby."

"Other than the child-snatching Blossoms." Kevin Keller jumped as Mickey gave him a stern glare "No offense, Cheryl."

"None taken," she replied in a less than honest tone.

"So, your parents want Polly and not the baby and the Blossoms want the baby, and not Polly," Jughead recapped "it's a true Gregorian knot."

"It's an impossible decision," Betty confirmed.

"No, an impossible decision is being invited to two Oscar parties on the same night," Veronica disputed "this is a nuisance. One that I've found a solution for: What if my mom and I host a baby shower for Polly?"

Jughead groaned. "I don't have to go to this, do I?"

"Of course. You're Betty's boyfriend."

Archie felt his jaw clench up at Veronica's statement, a wave of shameful jealousy washing over him as Betty began to blush.

Mickey saw the subdued anger in his brother's eye. If Archie didn't get a hold on his waring feelings soon, he and Jughead might not be friends for much longer.

"I'm in. Teddy Bear," Cheryl gave her boyfriend a wide-eyed expression, running her fingers through his hair as she asked. "Will you escort me?"

"Absolutely. I just need to clear it with my dad first," Mickey stipulated "We're starting the SoDale project this week and I don't want to leave him shorthanded."

"That sounds like a cause for celebration. How about I cook dinner for you and your family?" Cheryl blinked as all the boys started to stare. "What?"

Eventually Jughead asked what they all were thinking. "You can cook?"

Cheryl gave the Southside native a glare. "Yes, I can cook, you hobo. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Don't take personally," Archie told her "We don't think Veronica can cook either."

"Guilty," the New York native confirmed with a shrug "The only edible thing I know how to make is cocktails."

"What about you, beautiful?" Reggie gave Josie a curious smirk "You know your way around the kitchen?"

"Just my grandma's award-winning Gumbo."

"Mmm. Sounds delicious," Reggie commented, licking his lips hungrily "I would love to try it sometime. How about Friday night?"

The mayor's daughter scoffed. "Don't hold your breath."

"Oh come on, gorgeous. I'll make you dinner," he offered "You have not lived until you have tried my chicken dumplings."

As Reggie attempted to coax a romantic evening out of Josie, Mickey stared into Cheryl's eyes, a curious and appreciative light in his pale blue orbs "You really want to cook for us?"

Cheryl nodded. "You got to meet my parents." The leader of the Rivervixens gently ran her hands across his chest, a soft, almost vulnerable expression on her face. "I know how important your family is to. And you're important to me."

Mickey smiled, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading across his chest. "Two conditions: One, no soy. My dad's allergic."

"And the other condition?"

Mickey's face shifted into a mischievous smirk as he asked. "Can I have your lips for dessert?"

Cheryl grinned. "I think that can be arranged."

Archie rolled his eyes as Mickey and Cheryl started kissing. Again. "Don't you two ever need to come up for air?"

"Cheryl's making dinner tonight," Mickey announced, reluctantly pulling his lips away from hers.

Archie just shrugged. "Okay."

"Hold on." Jughead held up a cautionary finger as he asked "how do we know her cooking is even edible?"

"For your information, I prepare meals for my Nana Rose all the time," Cheryl stated sharply.

"Great. We get to eat old lady food."

"You know Jughead, if you spent less time moping and more time romancing your girlfriend, maybe she'd offer to make you dinner," Mickey suggested "As a guest at their last two Thanksgiving dinners, I can personally guarantee that all the Cooper women can cook. But Betty's real specialty is baking. Isn't that right, Archie?"

The brown-eyed twin bashfully lowered his head as his brother gave him a teasing smile. "Don't tell them about the cookies."

"Oh, I'm telling them about the cookies," Mickey confirmed.

"Please," Betty's cheeks quickly turned red as she begged "don't tell them about the cookies."

"If you two can tell the story about my first Valentine's Day with Cheryl, then I get to tell the story about Archie and Betty's cookies."

"Oh my God." Kevin's eyes widened as he asked, "did you two hook up and not tell anyone?"

Mickey chucked his empty coffee cup at the head of sheriff's son. "Not those kind of cookies, Kevin. I'm talking about real cookies. Betty's frosted lemon sugar cookies."

"The ones she made for the girls' soccer bake sale? Those things are addictive."

"Yeah, they are. And nobody knows that better than Archie," Mickey stated "See, our mom used to do all the cooking. And when she left, Archie started eating less and less. We didn't even realize how bad it was until he passed out in the middle of gym class. Dad and I tried everything we could, but in the end, it was Betty who saved the day." Mickey gave the girl next door a grateful smile as she squirmed in her seat with embarrassment "She went home, rolled up her sleeves and made the biggest batch of lemon cookies I have ever seen in my life," he emphasized with a chuckle "I don't know how, but she got Archie to eat the whole batch."

Archie felt a gentle warmth spread across his chest as remembered that day: sitting in side by side with his closet friend as they watched their favorite Disney movies, devouring more sweets than they ever had before.

"After that, Archie wouldn't finish a meal unless you bribed him with one of Betty's cookies. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, he had to have one of those cookies."

"Oh my God," Cheryl gasped with a laugh "How long did this go on?"

"About a month. Up until Betty got sick with the flu. She kept trying to sneak down to the kitchen to make a fresh batch until her mom promised to make them for her. She brought them over just in time for dinner. Archie took one bite and he spit it out." Mickey gave his brother an astonished look "he knew Betty didn't make them."

As the bell rang for class, the young students quickly headed off, the brown-eyed twin giving his best friend an apologetic smile "Sorry Mickey told that story."

"It's okay. We knew he was going to get us back for telling V about him and Cheryl sooner or later. Can I ask you something?" Betty requested as she gathered her books "why the cookies?"

Archie furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I would've made anything to get you to eat again. But all you ever asked for were those cookies. Why?"

"You don't remember?" Archie smiled softly as she shook her head "Betty, those were the cookies you made when my grandfather died. And when I ate them when I was thirteen, it reminded of when we ate when were ten," he explained "watching Disney movies nonstop with Polly and Mickey after the wake and how I finally started to believe that someday, everything was going to be okay. Those cookies made me feel safe, Betty. You made me feel safe."

Betty felt her heart skip a beat as she locked eyes with her best friend, the brow-eyed twin looking at her in a way that no one had before, the way she'd dreamed he would as a little girl.

"Guys." The two lifelong friends jumped as Jughead Jones called out to them, a suspicious look in his eye. "You coming?"

* * *

"What are you doing?" Josie walked side by side with Cheryl on the way to English class, a suspicious look in the young musician's eye "since when do you play homemaker for your boyfriends?"

"Since this is the first boyfriend I've ever really liked," Cheryl justified "Mickey planned the most romantic of all first dates. Now it's my turn."

"Cher," Josie spoke to her best friend in a gentle, uneasy voice "I'm glad that you've found somebody you want to be with. And that he likes you back."

"But?"

"But, I'd be lying if I said that you being with Mickey didn't bother me."

Cheryl glanced at her best friend out of the corner of her eye. "His temper."

Josie nodded. "I know he's sweet, cuddly Boo Bear, but you weren't there. You didn't see what he did to Doiley. I did." Josie suppressed a shudder as she remembered that night: the blue-eyed twin becoming a raging animal as the police subdued him, while Dilton laid half-conscious on the floor in the pool of his own blood. "I don't want to see that happen to you."

"It won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know him," Cheryl insisted. "On the last night of the Drive-In, Mickey picked a fight with the Southside Serpents. I talked him out of it, but he was still pretty wound up. He didn't hurt me," Cheryl assured Josie, noticing the worried look on her face "just yelled a little and ran off. I found him hiding out behind the concession stand," Cheryl's face softened as she remembered that night "He was trembling, on the verge of panic attack. Yes, he was angry, but mostly, he was just scared."

"Of what?"

"Of losing Archie. Apparently, he was being seduced by a suspect in Jason's murder. That is who Mickey is, Josie," Cheryl told her "a protector. Not some mouth-foaming Mad Dog. What happened with Dilton was a one-time mistake, and he spent the entire summer making sure that it would never happen again."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Cheryl gave her best friend a soft, kind smile. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Josie, but you don't have to worry. My Teddy Bear would never hurt me."

Josie felt a know twist in her stomach at the conviction in Cheryl's words, her dark brown orbs full conviction. She may not be able to see the danger that Mickey was, but Josie could. And she was not going to let the Mad Dog hurt her best friend.

* * *

"Why did you tell that cookie story?"

Mickey smirked as he and his brother walked side by down the halls on the way to math class. "To mess with you," he answered, "and I thought it might help you figure out your whole 'I like three girls' thing."

Archie frowned. "Since when do you care who I date?"

"I don't. I just want Polly and Cheryl to shut up about it," Mickey stated, earning a confused look from Archie "don't freak out, but I think Cheryl's trying to get Veronica to snake you from Valerie."

"What?"

"And I'm pretty sure Polly's trying to get Betty to leave Jughead for you."

"You have got to be kidding me." Archie looked sick to his stomach. "Why would they do that?"

"Well, Veronica is Cheryl's right hand Rivervixen," Mickey explained "so she knows how much you two like each other. And according to Polly, you and Betty have been saying 'I love you' for the past two months?"

"Only twice," Archie protested.

"So you did say it?" Mickey's eyes widened "Look Archie, I am more than willing to help you figure out this whole Betty, Veronica, Valerie thing, but you've got to give me all the facts."

"I know, I know." Archie sighed "It's complicated."

"Then let's uncomplicate it," Mickey suggested "what makes Betty so special?"

Archie smiled, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading across his chest. "Betty's my rock. Whenever I have a problem, she's the first person I want to call. When life gets crazy, she's the one that slows things down, so I can figure things out. She makes me feel safe."

"What about Veronica?"

Archie's heart sped up. "Nothing is slow with Veronica. When I see, I get this rush. Like, a bolt of lightning," he described "and when I kissed her, it was like I hopped on the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster. After drinking entire pot of coffee. She walks in the room, and I can't help but smile. She makes me happy, Mick. Crazy, stupid happy." He emphasized "so happy that, I completely forget about my problems."

Mickey could see why his brother was so indecisive. Cheryl could get his heart racing with a single touch. And yet, no one had ever been able to soothe him the way she did on the last night of the Drive-In. "What about Valerie?"

"Valerie," Archie paused as he came up with the words "Val's great. She's smart, pretty, talented. She makes want to be a better musician. Being with her feels…familiar."

"What do you mean?"

"I reminds me of what I had with Geraldine."

Mickey scowled at the mention of Miss Grundy.

"I know you're not her biggest fan," Archie acknowledged "but I like being with someone I can share my music with. Someone who challenges me to be better."

"You know, when I first got back from Chicago, I didn't think I was good enough for Cheryl," Mickey informed "you know what Dad said? Everyone thinks that their crush is too good for them. Look, who you want to date is your business," he acknowledged "but it seems to me that you're more into Betty and Veronica than you are into Valerie."

Archie swallowed a growing lump in his throat as he asked. "And if I was?"

"Then, I don't know what to tell you, brother," Mickey confessed "all I can tell you is what I would say in a best-case scenario."

"And that would be?"

"You and Betty are both single and Dad isn't dating Hermione," he presented.

"Okay. So, what would say then?" Archie asked.

"Choose wisely," he warned "Because you can never undo it. Let's say for the sake of argument, you start dating Veronica," he presented "you can never date Betty after that. Ever," Mickey emphasized "Doesn't matter if you and New York are broken up for a week or decade, Betty Cooper will forever be off limits. This isn't the fifties, Archie-Boy. No girl with an ounce of self-respect going to let you dump them and then date their best friend. You try that with BV, and you'll end up like Chuck Clayton: handcuffed to a boiling hot tub."

"Thanks for the visual," Archie commented, a nervous chill running down his spine.

"No problem," Mickey placed a comforting arm around the brown-eyed twin's shoulder. "I'm here for you, brother."

"Yeah," Archie smiled at the supportive look on his brother's face. "I know you are."

* * *

Fred Andrews was not having a good day. Just when he was about one of the biggest construction jobs to hit his town in years, the one that was meant to tip him over the edge of financial stability, he entire crew was poached. Bought out by the one man who could promise a who two years of work for entire crew on such sort notice. Clifford Blossom.

The construction worker brought his truck to a screeching halt in the front gates of Thornhill, forcing Clifford to step out of his expensive Bentley.

Fred clenched his jaw as marched out of his truck, his dark brown eyes full of an intense fury. "You buy my crew on the first day of construction?"

Clifford shrugged. "Opportunity knocks when it knocks. Nothing personal."

Fred scoffed. "Nothing ever is with you."

"That Drive-In was built where my family's first maple syrup factory once stood," Clifford revealed "We were in the process of reclaiming it when your boss swooped in and took it."

"And since you can't get to him, you're going after me?"

"All this secrecy, buying the Drive-In from the shadows, makes me thinks that your boss has a very finite amount of resources," Clifford theorized.

"So you're plan is to bleed him out," Fred realized "that's a good plan."

"Thank you."

"Except you're bleeding me out too, you pompous snake," Fred snarled "You're messing with my business, my livelihood, the future of my sons. I don't care if you are the richest man in Riverdale. You keep coming after me, I will come after with everything I've got."

Clifford chuckled. "And what might that be?"

Fred's expression became unsarcastically dark. "You ever been to war, Cliff?" he asked "You ever watch a kid fresh out of high get shot in the head in the time it takes you blink? See men you called your brothers get blown to bits by an IED? You ever kill a man with your bare hands?" the war veteran felt a dark sense of satisfaction as he saw the frightened look on the Blossom patriarch's face. "You declared war when you threatened my boys' future, Clifford. And you know how good my family is at war."

* * *

Archie was writing Veronica a song. He didn't plan it. He didn't even know he was doing it at first. It just sort of happened. Ever since going to the nightclub, the aspiring songwriter had been plagued by a never-ending tune stuck in his head. If you could call three notes a tune. But Archie slaved over that tune, working on it day and night until it turned into a rift, then a melody, and then a chorus.

It was dark, yet kind. Playful, but caring. Mysterious and intimate. And as he sat alone in the garage, commenting the wordless chorus to memory, a single image came to mind: the smile of Veronica Lodge.

At that moment, Archie put down his guitar and hurried back into the house, where he saw his father in the kitchen.

"I just need a couple guys, Don," Fred pleaded over the phone "just a couple."

Archie became concerned as he watched his father slam the phone back on the hook. "You okay, Dad?"

Fred forced a smile as he looked his son in the eye. "Fine."

That was a lie. "Dad," Archie gave his father a supportive look "what's going on?"

The small business owner stayed silent as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Clifford Blossom. He made my crew an offer they couldn't refuse. So, they bailed on me."

"Screw them," Archie scoffed "anyone who would rather work for Mr. Blossom instead of you is an idiot."

"It's more than that," Fred paused as he took a long sip of his beer "the business… it's in trouble. Big jobs have been few and far between. Especially after splitting the savings with your mother," he added "This SoDale project was supposed help me make ends things meet, but now, without a crew, I'm just burning through cash."

Archie eyes widened. "Dad, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't supposed to get this bad, son." Fred nervously played with the Celtic pendant around his neck, this one of a horse etched in silver "You work to the bone to build something, it's supposed to last. Not fall apart right in front of you."

"Dad." As his father took another sip of his beer, Archie felt a nervous question pop in his head. "does Mickey know about this?"

"He knows the money's tight. But I haven't had to chance to tell him about the Blossoms yet." Fred frowned as at the nervous look on his son's face. "Why?"

"You might want to call him before-,"

"Guys! We're here!"

Archie cringed as he heard his brother come from the front door. "That."

"Easy, Vegas. Easy." The blue-eyed chuckled as he and Cheryl walked into the kitchen, each carrying a bag full of groceries, the Andrews family dog barking and nipping at their ankles. "You're going to make us drop the food."

"Aww," Cheryl's lit up, as she placed the groceries on the kitchen counter, bending over to scratch Vegas behind the ears. "How's my little doggie baby? Did you miss me?" she asked playfully "because I missed you. Yes, I did. Yes, I did!"

"Archie," Fred forced a smile as he whispered to his son "why is Cheryl in our kitchen?"

"Cheryl offered to make us dinner," Archie answered, "that's why Jughead's eating with the Coopers."

"Yeah, I called you about after school," Mickey informed "didn't you get my message?"

"Sorry. Things got a little complicated at work," Fred apologized "some of the crew bailed on today."

"What? On the first day of construction?" Mickey looked ready to punch the wall "Why would they do that?"

Fred glanced briefly at Cheryl. "Someone made them a better offer. Long-term work guaranteed. Either way, it looks like we're going to have to postpone the job until we can get a new crew."

"Postpone the-? Can we even afford that?" Mickey growled as he ran his fingers through his hair "Looks like dinner's a bust."

"From what I hear, the job's not canceled," Cheryl disputed, standing back up "just postponed. That doesn't mean we can't celebrate."

Mickey smiled ad Cheryl placed gentle hand on his chest. "Okay. But, at least let me show you around first."

As the red-headed couple walked into the living room, Archie gave his father an urgent expression. "You need to tell him."

"I am." Fred promised "Later. Preferably when his girlfriend's not in the house. Look, let's just get through this dinner, alright?"

After finishing his beer, Fred lead Archie into the living room, where Mickey was showing Cheryl the Andrews family photos hanging over the fireplace.

"This is Grandpa Artie."

Cheryl's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the photograph of Arthur Andrews, standing in the park with his grandparents, wearing a green field jacket over a light wash denim shirt, a dark blue cardigan, jeans and leather boots, a strange feeling of Deja-vu washing over her. "I've seen him before."

"Well, he did grow up here," Mickey reminded "He took us to the park all the time."

"No, not in town," Cheryl disputed "At Thornhill."

"Thornhill?" Mickey repeated "why would Grandpa go to Thornhill?"

"Probably to see Nana Rose," Fred assumed "they used to date for a while."

"You're kidding." Cheryl could see why her grandmother fell for the Vietnam vet. Artie was handsome. Like Tom Selleck. She could see how much of an impact Artie had on his family. Fred's beard, Archie's cardigans, Mickey's field jacket, they were all inspired by Grandpa Artie.

As she placed the picture back on the side table by the couch, Cheryl noticed a series of photos sitting on the mantle over the fireplace, under of series of military flag in wooden cases: Two from the US and one from the UK. A tribute to the Andrews' fallen soldiers.

"Is this Pap Flynn?" Cheryl picked an old black and white photo on the left side of the mantle, capturing the image of a young sailor in his navy uniform, his face almost identical to that of Archie and Mickey's. "He doesn't look like he liberated half of Europe."

Fred chuckled. "Is that what Mickey told you?"

"Hey, I just told her the stories Grandpa told us."

"You mean the ones from the holidays when he was halfway through a bottle of Scotch?" Fred chuckled as he stared at the picture of his father on the mantle "The Andrews family military service goes all the way back to World War One. Grandpa Artie always them as superheroes. He wanted you boys to have the same kind of family pride. So he embellished some family war stories," Fred chuckled as he confessed "if he were still here, he'd probably have half town thinking I took down Bin Laden. Alone. In a sandstorm. With a stick."

"Well, I personally would love to hear the real Andrews family history," Cheryl requested "over dinner, of course. You boys are going to love my spinach lasagna," she promised.

As she walked back into the kitchen. Fred glanced at Mickey and asked. "Son, not that I'm complaining about a free meal, but can she cook?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

* * *

Cheryl could cook. Like a pro. After the first bite, the Andrews family descended on her lasagna like a pack of hungry wolves, stuffing their faces until they couldn't eat anymore.

"Well?" Cheryl grinned as the men nursed their stuffed bellies. "What do you think?"

Fred groaned. "I think I need a new belt. And pants."

"I need to go work this off, I'm going for a run," Archie announced, staying as still as a statue "am I moving?"

"Anyone care for desert?" Cheryl offered "I could my famous creme brulee."

The Andrews groaned.

"Mercy," Archie begged.

"Rosie, if you bake half as good as you cook, I have no doubt your crème burlee is delicious," Mickey stated, wrapping an arm around her waist "but we put anything else into or mouths, we'd explode."

"Thank you for making dinner, Cheryl. It was amazing," Fred praised "Why don't Archie and I clean up so you two can have some privacy. In the living room," he stipulated.

As the high school sweethearts walked out of the living room, Fred gave Archie a nervous look. "She seems nice."

"She is. Though she can be a spitfire. Kind of like mom," Archie chuckled before asking "do you think she knows about her dad buying out your crew?"

Fred sighed. "I have no idea."

* * *

"Next time, I cook for you."

Mickey sat with Cheryl on the couch, looking over old family photo albums as Archie and Fred did the dishes.

Cheryl tilted her head. "I didn't know you could cook."

"A little. Mostly breakfast. I can make some pretty good pancakes."

"Hmm. Nice to know I can get a morning-after brunch if I ever spend the night." Cheryl furrowed her brow as she noticed a picture of Fred in his high school graduation cap and gown, standing next to a tall stocky young man with short dark hair and gentle grey eyes, dressed in a military uniform. "Who's this?"

"My Uncle Owen. He joined the Army right out of high school," Mickey paused before revealing "He was killed in Iraq before we were born."

"I'm sorry," Cheryl apologized, giving her boyfriend a sympathetic look. The scarlet bombshell frowned as she found a pair of Celtic pendants pressed into the next page of the book: a bronze ox and a gold griffin. "What is this?"

"War animals. My Grandma Shirley, she used to say that all the men in our family are born with an animal inside," Mickey explained "a beast born and bred for war. It's why so many of us have bad tempers."

"Hey." Cheryl placed a gentle hand on Mickey's chest, a guilty look on the blue-eyed twin's face. "The rest of the world may see a big, bad grizzly, but all I see is my sweet, teddy bear."

Mickey stared at her for a moment, touched by her kind, reassuring words. Ever since the fight with Doiley, he was afraid that Cheryl would seem as some sort of monster, and yet the fight meant nothing to her.

"Aw." The scarlet bombshell grinned from ear to ear as she found a picture of Archie and Mickey from their childhood, the ten-year-old boys dressed up as Superman and Thor on Halloween. "This is so cute," she exclaimed, causing Mickey to blush "when I was dressed up as the Little Mermaid."

"You don't say." Fred smiled as he walked into the living room with Archie, an amused look on his face he stood behind the couch "Wait," the construction worker frowned as he saw the confused look on their faces "You two don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Mickey asked.

"How you met Cheryl."

"Of course, I do. I was six years old," Mickey began "it was the first day school. We were at recess and Cheryl came over to play with me. She thought I was Jason," he added with a chuckle "Jason caught us, told me to stay away from his sister, and I've crazy about her ever since."

"And why is that?"

"I don't know," Mickey sighed as he struggled to answer "I've just felt… drawn to her. Like I knew before I even met her."

"That's because you did. You didn't meet Cheryl when you were six, son," Fred disputed "you met her when you were four. Our summer back in Riverdale was a real scorcher, so we took you down to Sweetwater River to cool off. Along with half the town and their kids. Your mother and I turned our backs for one minute, and" Fred paused shamefully before revealing "you got caught in the current. But someone saved you. A little girl with red hair," Fred gave Cheryl a deeply grateful glance "who could swim like Phelps. You didn't come to until we got to the hospital. And when you did, you were convinced that you had been-,"

"Rescued by a mermaid. I thought that was dream." Mickey stared at his girlfriend with wonder and amazement. "You save my life."

* * *

Cheryl liked being at Mickey's house. There was a warmth here. A deep, unconditional love that she never felt at home. No wonder Jason spent so much time with Polly. If the Coopers were half as kind as their neighbors, her brother must've felt like he was paradise.

After finishing the dishes, Fred and Archie decided to give Mickey and Cheryl some time alone, the two redheads snuggled up together on the couch, watching one of Cheryl's favorite movies: The Little Mermaid.

"I can never look at this movie the same way again," Mickey commented. The blue-eyed twin had his arm gently wrapped around Cheryl's waist, the redheaded cheerleader resting her head on his chest, the two of them wrapped up in a soft grey throw blanket. "Now that I've got a little mermaid of my own."

Cheryl blushed. "I already told you, I don't even remember saving you at Sweetwater River. I was five."

"Yes, you did. In here." Mickey smiled as he pointed to Cheryl's heart "just like I did. I'm going to pay you back, you know," he vowed softly.

Cheryl chuckled. "And just how do you plan to do that?"

"By making you happy," he answered, "every day for the rest of my life."

Cheryl felt her heart bustle with butterflies at her boyfriend's declaration, and without a moment's hesitation, she kissed him.

It was passionate kiss. Fueled by affection, devotion, and lust.

Mickey quickly kissed her back with equal measure, his heart racing as she quickly climbed into his lap. "Cheryl."

"Shh." The scarlet bombshell placed a finger on his lips, her dark brown eyes burning with desire. She wanted him. Desperately. When he and Cheryl started dating, Mickey suggested that they take things slow, wanting the emotional side of their relationship to catch up with the physical. Only Cheryl couldn't wait anymore. Mickey was so kind. So gentle and romantic. It only made her want him more. The gothic heroine silently removed her top, revealing a red bra etched in black lace. Before Cheryl could even begin to explain why she was being so forward, Mickey smashed his lips against hers, letting out a primal growl as he slipped his tongue down her throat.

Cheryl chuckled. "Looks like my Teddy Bear is eager for some honey."

"You have no idea," Mickey whispered, giving her another passionate kiss. He tried to fight it. He tried to be a good Catholic. But dating Cheryl Blossom did not make it easy. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. And Cheryl knew that. She teased him. Constantly. Rubbing his chest. Sitting in his lap. Calling him Teddy Bear. The second he saw Cheryl in that bra, he lost all self-control. Mickey wanted her. Right here. Right now.

Cheryl winced slightly as Mickey attacked her neck with his mouth, the pain from Penelope's abuse rivaling the pleasure her boyfriend was giving her. Not want to stop, Cheryl directed Mickey's head toward her chest, letting out a series of sharp breaths as he kissed the top of her breasts.

As the two of the shared a heated kiss, Mickey couldn't help but feel as though he was being watched. Reluctantly, the high school baseball star opened his eyes, noticing the pictures of his family veterans and their units on the mantle, looking right back at him. "Rosie."

"Don't stop," Cheryl whispered, biting on Mickey's ear "Don't stop, Teddy Bear."

"I don't want to." Mickey desperately tried to focus on his girlfriend's erotic touch, the stoic, staring faces of his dead relatives sending shivers down his spine. The blue-eyed twin sighed as he placed both hands on the side of Cheryl's face, gently pressing his forehead against her. "But I can't do this."

"Why not?"

Mickey pointed to the pictures on the mantle. "They're staring at me."

With a huff, Cheryl climbed out of Mickey's lap and marched over to the fireplace, turning the pictures on the mantle face down. The scarlet bombshell turned around and smiled. "Better?"

"I wish. But my dad's upstairs, Archie's in the garage," Mickey listed off "and Jughead is due back from the Coopers any minute."

"But Teddy Bear," Cheryl gave her boyfriend a wide-eyed look as she pouted "don't you want to-?"

"I do," Mickey answered quickly "I really do. I'm a sixteen-year-old for crying out loud,' he reminded in an excited whisper "I'm surprised I lasted this long. But my house is too small and too crowded. But your place," Mickey's eyes lit up as he came up with an idea "Your place is huge. And last time I checked, there were still four bedrooms we never-,"

"No!"

Mickey jumped slightly at the whip-like crack in Cheryl's voice, her dark brown eye suddenly swirling with fear. "Rosie," the blue-eyed twin spoke to her in a deeply concerned voice "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Cheryl insisted in a less than convincing tone "nothing. It's getting late," she announced, putting her top back on "I should go."

"Cheryl, wait," Mickey pleaded. But it was no use. In the time it took him to get up from the couch, Cheryl marched through the kitchen and out the back door.

The blue-eyed twin sighed as he fell back onto the sofa, his eyes meeting those of a picture of his grandfather sitting on the coffee table. "You couldn't give me five minutes?"

* * *

Foolish. That was only way Cheryl could describe her actions at the Andrews home. Absolutely foolish. What was she thinking? Seducing Mickey in his home with half his family in earshot? After leaving Nana Rose alone all weekend. How could she do that?"

Because you care about him, she thought. Because he makes you feel special and protected. The exact opposite of how feel around your mother.

At times like these, Cheryl truly missed her brother. Jason wasn't just her protector, he was her rock. Her solace. Her sole pillar of unconditional support. If he was still here, at least there'd be someone to look after Nana while she was away.

As she walked backed into the, the gothic heroine heard a voice that made her blood turn to ice. "Cheryl!"

The leader of the Rivervixens began to tremble as her mother called out to her, walking into study where she found her mother halfway through a bottle of wine.

Cheryl shuddered. Penelope was bad enough when she was sober. Alcohol only made it worse.

The Blossom matriarch jabbed a finger an angry finger at her daughter, her dark eyes glassy and full of rage as she spoke in a slurred voice. "Where…have you been?"

"A-At Mickey's," Cheryl answered in a timid, trembling voice "The Andrews invited me over for dinner."

Penelope's eyes flared as she rose from her seat, stumbling slightly as she marched toward her daughter. "You were supposed…to get Polly."

"That was three days ago, Mommy," Cheryl murmured "Polly has already moved in with the Lod-,"

SMACK!

Cheryl's head reeled back Penelope slapped her across the face, the stinging pain in her still sore cheek bringing her to tears.

"I don't care…about excuses," Penelope snarled "I want Polly. That baby… is mine. Not the Lodges'. Not Polly's. Mine," she repeated possessively "And you let that child slip right through your fingers."

Cheryl cowered back as her mother made a reach for her throat, the thought of another chocking leaving her utterly terrified. "I'm sorry. I'll do better," she promised, willing to say anything to escape another beating "I'll to Polly at the shower. I'll get her to live with us."

Penelope tilted her head. "What shower?"

Cheryl felt sick to her stomach. Did she really just tell say that to her demonic mother? "I-,"

SMACK!

Penelope slapped her again, this time twice as hard, causing Cheryl to let out a whimper. "What shower!?"

"Veronica's planning Polly a baby shower," Cheryl blurted out, a river of guilty, fearful tears running down her cheeks. "She already invited me." The gothic heroine flinched as her mother reached out to her, gently running a hand through her long, red hair.

"Maybe you're not as useless as I thought. This is your final chance," Penelope warned "Fail me again," Cheryl's bottom lip became to quiver as her mother's hand hovered over her neck, ready to strangle her at a moment's notice. "And there will be consequences."

* * *

Archie was in trouble. Big trouble. If Valerie could look inside his head, he'd be a dead man. He couldn't stop thinking about Veronica. Her, smile, her voice, her spirit. The way his world seemed to start over when she walked into Pop's. The way he couldn't help but smile whenever she called him Archiekins. The way she made him feel safe and secure when she took care of his wounded hand. The way she made him lfeel like he could fly with just a simple kiss.

Desperate for a listening ear, the brown-eyed twin headed downstairs, where he found his brother lying on the couch. "Hey. Where's Cheryl?"

"She went home. And not in a good mood," Mickey added sourly "she wanted to hook up," he informed quietly "but I said no."

"Why didn't you just go to her place?"

"That's what I said," Mickey exclaimed "but she just freaked out and took off." The blue-eyed twin sighed "Women are complicated."

"You're telling me," Archie sat down in the chair next to the couch "You remember that song I started writing for Betty?"

"Please don't tell me you finished it."

"Nope. I actually started another one," Archie divulged "about Veronica."

Mickey raised his head. "Did you say Veronica?"

Archie nodded.

"Let me see if I got this straight, you started writing a song for Betty and Veronica," he recapped "but not Valerie, your girlfriend?"

"Mm-hmm," Archie sighed as he pinched the bridge of nose "It's going to take some time, but I am going to get over them."

"What you don't?"

"I will," Archie vowed "I have to."

"Archie," Mickey gave his brother a tentative look "maybe you should tell them how you feel."

"I can't," Archie proclaimed "Mick, Betty was crushed when I turned her down at the dance," he emphasized "And now I'm going to pull a 180 after she gets a boyfriend? My best friend? Dad wouldn't even look at woman until Mrs. Lodge came to town," he reminded "I'm supposed to take away his first chance at moving on since Mom left by dating his girlfriend's daughter?" the brown-eyed twin sighed as he leaned back in the chair, his warring feelings for the girl next door and the princess from New York leaving him exhausted. "Look, can we talk about something else, please?"

"Sure. How about we talk about the SoDale project?" Mickey suggested "I know you and Dad were talking about it when me and Cheryl got here," he informed "so, how bad is it?"

"Bad," the aspiring songwriter nervously played with the lion pendant around his neck, trying to figure out what he could say without breaking his vow of silence to his father "Dad lost a lot of guys today."

Mickey felt a pit swallow his stomach. "We need this job, Archie."

"I know. Dad told me the money's tight."

"It's worse than tight, it's almost nonexistent." The blue-eyed twin held his fingers less than an inch apart "We are this close to going bankrupt."

"What?" Archie's eyes widened "How do you know?"

Mickey quickly glanced around to make sure Fred wasn't in earshot. "I might've double checked Mrs. Lodge's work on the books."

"You're spying on her?"

"She is the wife of a man on trial for embezzlement and money fraud," Mickey reminded "I don't care bad Dad has the hots-," the blue-eyed twin sat straight up as his words trailed off, his eyes wide with a nervous realization. "I think I know why the crew quit."

Archie became impatient as his brother stayed silent. "Why?"

"The Southside Serpents."

Archie frowned. "Why would the Serpents care about Dad's construction company?"

"They don't," Mickey disputed "They care Hermione. Which is why they left a live snake for her at Pop's. That's why Dad hired her in the first place. Apparently, Hiram Lodge owes them money," he informed "and judging by the fact that Veronica and Hermione used to take mommy-daughter trips to Italy for fashion week, I'm guessing it's a lot."

"Why would former millionaire Hiram Lodge get in business with the Southside Serpents?" Archie questioned "It doesn't make any sense."

"Archie, Hiram Lodge is a mobster," Mickey stated strongly "a pinstripe suit wearing, hair slicking, cigar chomping, 'let me make you an offer you can't refuse' mobster."

Archie rolled his eyes. Ever since his brother got back from Chicago, he was convinced that Hiram was something out of a Scorsese flick. I had led to some pretty heated arguments between Mickey and Veronica. That and who had the better pizza between the Big Apple and the Windy City. "Just because Hiram Lodge got arrested doesn't mean he's the godfather. The guy's on trial for money fraud."

"And Al Capone was arrested for tax evasion. You ever hear of Lucky Luciano?" Mickey asked "he was a New York mobster during Prohibition. When I was in Chicago, Mom and her lawyer friends called Hiram 'Latin Luciano'. While they were building a case to try him in Chicago. I'm telling you, that guy is bad news," Mickey insisted "and his family's paying for it."

"Okay. Let's say you're right, Mick," Archie humored "Let's say Hiram Lodge is planning something with the Serpents. What?"

"I don't know," Mickey sighed "but I know someone who might."

Archie's eyes widened as his brother stared him. "No. No way."

"Archie. Archie," Mickey quickly jumped up from the couch and followed his brother as he headed upstairs. "come on, I just need you to talk to Veronica."

The brown-eyed twin pressed lips together as he turned around to look his brother in the eye. "Mick, Veronica idolizes her father. When Reggie accused him of being a crook, she nearly took his head off," he emphasized "and you want me to ask her if Hiram's making a deal with the Serpents?"

"She is our best bet at finding out what the Serpents are up to."

"Then why don't you ask her?"

"Because I'm not the one she calls Archiekins," Mickey winced slightly as he saw the hurt look on his brother's face "Look bottom line, the Serpents want money from the Lodges. And there is no telling how far they are willing to get it."

Archie took in a deep breath. He knew that the Blossoms were the one messing with Fred's business, not the Serpents. But if any of the Serpents wanted to hurt Veronica, they'd have to go through him first.

* * *

Polly Cooper sat with her sister and the Lodges at breakfast the next day, raising an eyebrow at the latest idea from BV. "A baby shower? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes," BV said together.

"What about Mom and Dad?" Polly questioned "Are they going to be there?"

"Well, what do you want, sweetie?" Hermione asked gently "Do you want them to be there?"

"Yes," Polly confessed "Mom, at least."

"Okay then, we'll get her there," Veronica decided.

"But," Polly paused as she let out a tired sigh "I don't want to fight with her."

"You won't." Betty reached across the table and gave her sister's hand a gentle squeeze. "The entire Cooper family will support you," she promised.

Polly smiled as she met her little sister's gaze, her soft, gentle green full of unwavering devotion. "I want the Blossoms to be there."

"Sure," Veronica shrugged as she confirmed "Cheryl's on the guestlist."

"And Mrs. Blossom."

Betty blinked. "She tried to declare you an unfit mother."

"Well, this will give me the chance to prove that I'm not," Polly explained.

"Veronica," Hermione Lodge gave her daughter a nervous glance "can I speak to you for a moment?"

As the Lodge women stepped into the living room, Betty gave her sister an uncertain expression. "Poll, are you sure you want Mrs. Blossom at the shower?"

"Yes. I don't want my baby to feel like it has to chose between being a Blossom or a Cooper," the mother to be placed a gentle hand on the swollen stomach "They deserve to know both sides of their family. And their place in them."

Betty stared at her sister for a moment, amazed at her constant hope after all she had lost. "Okay. If that's what you want," Betty gave her sister a supportive smile "then we'll make it happen."

"Thank you, Betty," Polly gave her sister as warm smile "I knew you could count of you."

The leader of the Blue Gold felt a knot form in her stomach as she forced a smile. "Polly, can I ask you something? When you were missing, Mickey said that you stopped taking your medication."

Polly gave her little sister a comforting smile. "That's because I've been taking these." The mother to be reached into her purse and pulled out a small bottle of pills, handing them over to her sister "When I found out I was pregnant, Jason set up a doctor's appointment in Greendale. The old prescription wasn't safe for the baby. Or me, actually."

Betty frowned as the pit in her stomach worsened. "What do you mean?"

"That medication isn't even legal in the US," Polly informed "The doctor that made it had to go to Canada just to get it approved."

Betty's face turned stark white. "I have to go."

"Betty?" Polly got up from her seat as her sister bolted from the door. "Wait." But it was no use.

As the blonde-haired reporter headed to school, a single terrifying thought kept racing through her mind: were blackouts the results of her genes, or a tainted medicine?

* * *

Archie could not believe he was doing this. Did Mickey really think that he could get Veronica to admit Hiram, her beloved father, was working with the Serpents just because she liked each other? It was nuts. Not to mention a waste of time. Clifford Blossom was the one messing with Fred's business, not Hiram. Only Archie couldn't tell Mickey that because Fred had made him promise that he would tell Mickey. But if Mickey was right, if the Southside Serpents really were coming after the Lodges, Archie couldn't let her face that alone. Which is why the brown-eyed twin stood in the middle of the halls of Riverdale High, trying to gather the courage to speak to the raven-haired princess from New York.

From the moment he laid eyes on her, Archie heard the song. That playful, intimate tune that she inspired. The longer he looked at her, the louder the song became. The louder the song, the more the world faded away until only Veronica Lodge was recognizable. Truly, Archie could stand and listen to that song for the rest of his life.

Blinking rapidly to clear his distracted mind, the brown-eyed twin took a breath and forced to himself to walk across the hall, walking over to the Veronica's locker. "Ronnie?"

The New York native looked away from her locker, the smile on her face causing his heart to race. "Archie. Hi."

"Hi." Archie felt a lump form in his throat as he asked. "Can we talk?"

"Sure. I heard about the SoDale project," Veronica informed, the two of them walking side by side on their way to class. "I hope your dad finds a new crew soon."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Mickey thinks that it might have something to do with your family. And the Southside Serpents," Archie informed, earning a shocked look from Veronica "Mick said something about your mom and a snake at Pop's?"

Veronica felt a nervous chill run down her spine. "Not here." The raven-haired princess quickly grabbed Archie by the hand and led him into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them as a pit formed in her stomach. "My father is a good man, Archie" she stated in a soft, protective voice "I know everyone says otherwise, but they're wrong. They're wrong."

"I believe you." Archie told her. He knew how much these rumors killed her. How much Veronica needed to believe that her father was innocent, that one day, her family would be whole.

Veronica felt a sliver of comfort wash over as the aspiring musician gently took her hand in his. "My father wasn't born on Park Avenue, Archie. Before he moved to Riverdale, he grew up on the South side of the Bronx. His parents were immigrant dock workers. There were nights when his family couldn't even afford to eat," she emphasized "My father did everything in his power to make sure that no Lodge would ever have to go through that again."

"By working with the Serpents?"

Veronica felt as though she was stabbing her father in the back as she nodded.

"Why would the CEO of a fortune 500 company work with a small-town biker gang?" Archie questioned.

"I don't know," Veronica insisted "all I know is that it has something to do with the-,"

Archie frowned as the New York native cut herself short, a panicky look quickly spreading across her face. "Has something to do with what?"

Veronica stayed silent for a moment, starring into Archie gentle dark brown orbs as her heart pounded against her chest. She couldn't tell him that Hiram had bought the Drive-In. But she couldn't bring herself to lie to Archie either. "All I know is that my mother is working to rebuild my father's company while in jail. Before he was arrested, Daddy started some sort of business deal in the works here in Riverdale. To keep the project going, my mother forged my name to some documents."

"That's what you meant you said she stole your name," Archie realized.

"My parents gave me an honorary seat on the board when I was seven. All the others jumped ship once Daddy was arrested." The raven-haired princess felt a stinging pain in her heart at the memory Hermione's betrayal. "I still can't believe she did that."

Archie gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his dark brown eyes sparkling as he stared her.

Veronica blushed. "What?"

"Nothing. You just look really pretty today." Archie licked his lips lustfully as he took in Veronica's outfit: A jet black skirt that stopped just above the knee, a pair of matching heels that accented her long legs, and a long-sleeved blouse of the finest silk, it's rich, violet hue standing out in perfect contrast against her skin. "Purple's a really good color on you."

"Thanks." Veronica glanced at the floor as Archie gave the same look from their night at the club, the one that made her feel as though she were made of the flawless pearls she wore around her neck. "You look nice too."

The brown-eyed twin wore a light grey cardigan over a black v-neck t-shirt, along with dark jeans and sneakers, the lion pendant from his grandfather on full display around his neck.

"You should keep this out in the open more often," Veronica suggested in a low voice, running her fingers over the lion etched into the circle of gold "The gold really brings out your eyes."

Archie heart raced as they stood less than a foot away from each other, her breath tickling his face as the world faded away. He could hear it again. The music, soft and gentle at first, but now it was loud and clear, daring him to kiss her.

The two high schoolers jumped as the warning bell, their hearts racing as they realized just close they came to sharing a kiss.

Archie's face turned bright red. "We better get to class." The brown-eyed twin graciously opened the door for Veronica, the two of them walking right into Cheryl Blossom.

"Well, well, well," the leader of the Rivervixens wore a crimson red dress that stopped just below the knee, with black high heels and a matching faux leather belt, her arms folded across her chest as she smiled. "What do we have here?"

"Relax Cherry." Veronica rolled her eyes at the teasing grin on her friend's face. "We were just talking."

"I'm sure you were. Mickey and I had 'talks' in empty classrooms all the time last spring," Cheryl's sparkled with a mischievous light "Our favorite was room 69."

Archie groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Veronica chuckled. "Look, I wanted to talk to you anyway. Betty and I sold Polly on the baby shower idea, and she says your mom and Nana Rose are more than welcome to come. She thinks it'll be a good way to extend an olive branch."

Cheryl's face turned stark white. Her blood ran cold. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. "I have to go."

The scarlet bombshell quickly took off down the hall, the frightened look on her face making Veronica worried.

* * *

"Josie McCoy." Reggie Mantle stood in front of his locker before class, a smug grin spreading across his face as the Mayor's daughter walked over to him "To what do I owe the pleasure.

"Save your pickup lines, Mantle," the leader of Pussycats insisted "We need to talk."

"I agree. How about over dinner?" Reggie suggested with a smile. "My treat."

"Pass. This is about the Mad Dog."

The leader of the Bulldogs scowled. "His name is Mickey," Reggie reminded "And he doesn't like it when you call him that."

"Whatever. I just need to know if he's got his temper under control," Josie requested. "The last thing Riverdale needs is Mickey hurting…someone."

"You mean Cheryl," Reggie corrected, and with a disbelieving scoff, he walked off.

Josie's eyes widened as she followed him. "Where are you going."

"To class," Reggie answered, not looking back "I'm done having this conversation."

"I'm just trying to look for my friend," Josie justified.

"No, you're asking me to throw my best friend under the bus," Reggie corrected "and that's not happening. Not now, not ever."

Josie stopped following after that, surprised by the varsity football captain's devout loyalty to his best friend. She always thought Reggie only cared about himself.

As the leader of Bulldogs rounded the corner, he came face-to-face with Mickey Andrews, dressed in a black and white baseball tee with jeans and sneakers. "Reg. I need your help," he pleaded "how'd you like to make some extra cash and get a good workout in at the same time?"

"Bro, you just described my dream job."

* * *

S.O.S.

That was one Cheryl and Josie's secret codes. Whenever Josie got that text, it meant that her best friend was in danger of another beating, desperate for a way out.

"Cher." The leader of the Pussycats found her best friend alone the music room, the gothic heroine reduced to nervous wreck as she paced back and forth. "I got here as soon as I could. What's wrong?"

"My mother. Polly invited her to the baby shower." The leader of the Rivervixens as if she'd seen a ghost. "What am I going to do?"

"Cheryl," Josie gave her best friend sympathetic look "calm down."

"I can't calm down," she snapped "Josie, my mother is adamant on getting her hands on those babies. If don't help her she'll, she'll-," Cheryl's heart pounded against her chest. Her entire body trembled in terror. What would Penelope do to her? Another choking? More slaps to face? Something worse.

As her mind raced with all the dark possibilities, the gothic heroine found it harder and harder to breathe, her lungs quickly crying out for air.

"Cher." Josie knew what this was. The rapid gasping. The terrified look on her best friend's face. Cheryl was having another panic attack. The leader of the Pussycats placed both hands on the side of her head, forcing her to look her in the eyes, speaking to her in a soft, soothing voice. "Cher, just breathe. Breathe, honey. In through the nose, out through the mouth."

Cheryl nodded frantically as she struggled to follow Josie's instructions, letting out series of ragged breaths as she slowly regained a sliver of self-control, her desperate gasps turning into heartbreaking sobs.

Josie quickly pulled her close as Cheryl started to cry, rocking her back and forth as she trembled in her arms.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this," Cheryl whispered "I need Jason."

In the beginning, both Cheryl and her brother were abuse my their mother. But after Nana Rose was put in a wheelchair, Jason became determined to protect his sister, his grandmother and himself. He devoted every spare minute to sports and physical fitness, making himself strong enough to keep Penelope at bay. With him dead, there was no one left to protect Cheryl from Penelope's wrath.

* * *

"You were right."

Archie walked side by side with his brother in the halls of school later that day, a solemn look on the brown-eyed twin's face. "There is definitely something going on with the Serpents and the Lodges."

"What'd you find out?"

"Mr. Lodge has a some sort of plan to rebuild Lodge Industries here in Riverdale. But to keep it going, Mrs. Lodge had to forge Ronnie's name to some documents," Archie informed "she's one of the only board members that didn't jump ship or get locked up."

Mickey stopped walking. His eyes went wide. His face turned as pale as a ghost.

Archie frowned. "What''s wrong?"

"I think I know what the Lodges are up to," Mickey answered dreadfully "We're building it."

"SoDale?" Archie gave his brother a skeptic glance "You think the Lodges bought the Drive-In? Why would they do that?""

"So Hiram 'the Godfather' Lodge can turn Riverdale into Las Vegas back in the 40s."

Archie rolled his eyes. "Mick, if her parents bought the Drive-In, Veronica would've told us."

"No. She wouldn't. Archie, Hiram Lodge is facing charges all across the country," Mickey reminded "Mom is a Chicago ADA. She's been working on Hiram's case since July. One phone call from us, and New York's got two parents in prison."

Archie's heart stopped. Was Mickey right? Did Veronica really think that he would be willing to tear her family apart?

"I still can't Hermione Lodge has got Dad doing her husband's grunt work," Mickey snarled, as his blood started to boil "I bet Hiram's planning on turning the Drive-In into a rigged casino. Or a hotel with a brothel in the basement. That's got to be why the Serpents scared off Dad's crew," he theorized "The Drive-In was on their turf and now they want the Lodges to give them a piece of the-," the blue-eyed twin's voice trailed off as he and his brother walked passed the music room, where Mickey a concerning sight out of the corner of his eye: Cheryl Blossom, crying like a baby in Josie's arms.

"Rosie." Mickey quickly burst into the music room with Archie, causing the two best friends to jump and pull away from each other. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Cheryl sniffled as she quickly dried her eyes, forcing a smile t try and calm her worried boyfriend "Josie was just... letting me hear a new song for Josie and the Pussycats. It reminded me of Jason and I got misty-eyed."

Mickey felt a knife twist in his stomach as he realized she was lying. The blue-eyed twin glanced at Archie and Josie. "Can you guys give us a minute."

With a simple nod, Archie lead Josie into the hall, leaving Mickey and Cheryl in the otherwise empty music room.

"Rosie," Mickey gave his girlfriend a deeply concerned expression "is there something you want to tell me?"

Cheryl felt a nervous pit begin to develop her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting really weird lately," Mickey noticed "First, you go off the grid all weekend. Then, you try to have sex with me with half my family in earshot," he listed off "and now you're crying with Josie in the music room?" the blue-eyed twin reached over and took the leader of Rivervixens' hand "I'm worried about you."

"I know. And I appreciate that," Cheryl told him softly "it's just...knowing Polly's pregnant, that my brother will never get to see his child grow up, it's just made losing him alot harder."

That was the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, but it was enough to keep Mickey from prying any further.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

Cheryl shrugged. "You've been busy with the SoDale project. I didn't want to distract you."

"Cheryl, you are not a distraction," Mickey disputed gently "You're my girlfriend. And when I said I wanted to be boyfriend, I knew that meant helpoing you get over losing your brother. Whether that means bringing you tissues at lunch or talking to you on the phone until three in the morning, I'm here for you," he vowed "No matter what happens, I'm here to help you. I want to help you."

Cheryl felt the familiar bustling of butterflies in her stomach as she rested her head on Mickey's chest, listening to the gentle beating of his heart as the blue-eyed twin wrapped his arms around her.

"Is this helping?" Mickey asked.

Cheryl sighed softly as she closed her eyes, enjoying the warm and protected feeling she got whenever Mickey hugged her. "More than you know."

* * *

Fred Andrews sat alone at his office desk as later that afternoon, trying to come up with a way to save his business from going bankrupt. He had been on the phone with every friendly construction company in town, and not one of them had any men to spare.

The small-town business owner slammed his fist on the desk, his blood burning like hot lava. If he ever saw Clifford Blossom again, Fred would tear him apart.

"Someone's having a good day," Hermione commented.

The single father felt his rage subside slightly as the former New York socialite made her way into the office trailer, a teasing yet concerned look on her face as she came back from her lunch with Alice Cooper.

"How'd things go with Clifford yesterday?" she asked.

"Great. Considering I didn't show the Andrews family left cross.," Fred grumbled "and I really wanted to. He's in some sort of grudge match with the buyer. And guess who's caught in the middle."

"Really?" Hermione faked a surprised expression as she asked "This mystery buyer, Cliff didn't happen have a name, did he?"

"Nope. He's as much in the dark as we are." The construction worker glanced out the window at the sound of a car pulling up. "What now?" Fred sighed as he and Hermione headed outside, where they found at least two dozen boys in hard hats, lead by Archie and Mickey Andrews. "What's all this?"

"Your new crew," Mickey answered, dressed in a light wash denim shirt, dark blue jeans, and tan leather boots, a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder. "Until you can find a real one."

"I appreciate this, boys," Fred told his sons gratefully "I really do. But, don't you kids have other things to do? Like, go to school?" he suggested.

"The Bulldogs can work after football practice," Archie told his father.

"And my Riverdale Sluggers can work right after school," Mickey added "and we can all work on weekends."

"Dad, come on." Archie gave his reluctant father a pleading look "I worked for you all summer and Mickey has been here almost everyday since. And these guys-,"

"We're grade A studs, Mr. Andrews," Reggie stated proudly "Well, most of us," he corrected glancing skeptically at Jughead.

Fred scratched his beard as he struggling to come to a decision as Hermione whispered into his ear. "Desperate times, Fred."

The construction worker sighed as he started to smile. "Alright. Let's get to work."

Hermione smiled as she watched the boys head off, happy to see everything moving along once again.

"Mrs. Lodge."

The New York socialite came face to face with Mickey Andrews, a suspicious look on his face. "How'd your talk with Mrs. Cooper go?"

"Only time will tell. Thank you for getting this crew together," Hermioine told him "This is really going to help us keep on schedule."

"Anything to help my dad. It's funny how the old crew just bailed at the last moment," he commented "nothing like that has ever happened before. Until you started working here."

Hermione tilted her head. "What are you implying?"

The blue-eyed twin shrugged. "Just that my father really cares about you. And that I would hate to see him have to pay for your mistakes."

As the high school baseball player walked off, Hermione felt a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. That boy had too much of Mary of him. If Mickey figured out what she and Hiram were up to, everything would be ruined.

* * *

"So this is the Andrews family secret to getting swoll." Reggie Mantle grunted as he worked on the far end of the Drive-In land, dressed in a long sleeved-black t-shirt, dark jeans, and black work boots, pilling rocks into a wheelbarrow while Mickey pounded at the ground with a sledgehammer. "I dig it. It's old school. Very Rocky IV." The leader of the Bulldogs frowned as he watched his best friend stayed silent, pounding at the ground like it own him a fortune. "You okay, bro?"

"No, Reg. I'm not." Mickey sighed as he set the hammer down by his side, wiping the sweat from his brow as he removed his hard hat. "This whole mess stinks of Hiram Lodge. My dad's crew has been with him for years. Half of them served in Iraq with him," he reminded "and now that we get the biggest job to hit this town in a decade, they bail. Someone is coming after my dad, and when I find out who, I'm going to-," the blue-eyed twin twin's voice trailed off as he got a notification on his phone, his face turning bright red as he got a very unexpected text.

"What is it?" Reggie asked.

"Nothing," Mickey answered quickly, shoving his phone in his pocket.

"You're blushing," Reggie noticed.

"No, I'm not."

"What's on the phone, Mick?"

"Nothing."

"Let me see!"

"No!"

At that moment, Reggie started chasing Mickey around the site, finally catching up to him as he tripped on a pile of rocks.

"Aha!" The Varsity football captain grinned triumphantly as he snatched the phone from Mickey's pocket, unlocking it and looking through his texts. "Whoa!" Reggie's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he found a picture of Cheryl Blossom, dressed in as the titular character from the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid, Princess Ariel. "What do we have here?"

"Give me that." Mickey growled as he shot up from the ground, taking his phone back and saving the picture to a password-protected file along with the rest of Cheryl's less than innocent texts.

"Dude, relax." Reggie chuckled at the protective look on his best friend's face "It's not like she was naked or anything."

"Would you want me to see of picture of Josie like this?" Mickey questioned.

Reggie blinked. "I see your point. So," the two high school athletes walked side by side as Reggie carried the wheelbarrow over to rest of the debris was being gathered. "What's with the cosplay?"

"Cheryl wants us to a couple's costume for Halloween," Mickey explained "she's had her heart set on Little Mermaid ever since Dad told her how she saved me from drowning when we were little."

"Oh yeah. At Sweetwater River."

Mickey's eyes widened. "You knew about that?"

"My best friend nearly drowns with the half the town watching? Yeah, I remember," Reggie gave his best friend a surprised expression "didn't you?"

"I was five," Mickey reminded "I thought the whole thing was a dream. Anyway, Little Mermaid is her favorite and now she wants me to be her ginger prince Eric."

"I told you, man. Disney's the key getting women."

Mickey sighed. "Not your brother's crazy theory again."

"What are you guys talking about?" Archie asked, helping Jughead unload his wheelbarrow, while Moose and Kevin did the same.

"Reggie thinks you can get girls just knowing Disney movies," Mickey answered.

"I'm telling you, it works," the leader of Bulldogs insisted "My brother Oliver used it all the time, and he got all girls just by knowing their favorite Disney flicks."

"That's because Oliver would play them Disney songs his piano."

"Actually, Reggie might be onto something," Kevin supported "according to Teen Vogue, most girls' preference in men are heavily affected their favorite male Disney protagonists."

"And how would you know what's in-," Reggie stopped talking as he remembered he was talking to Kevin Keller.

"I don't buy it," Mickey disputed "Cheryl's favorite Disney movie is the Little Mermaid. Does that mean she thinks I'm like the guy in the movie?"

"Oh, you're totally a prince Eric," Kevin confirmed.

"I don't look anything like the guy!"

"It's not about looks, Mickey," Kevin chuckled. "It's about personality. You're like Prince Eric because you're a hopeless romantic. You both fell for a girl you could bare remember after the first meeting. Mickey, you've been chasing Cheryl around your whole life. You spent the summer planning the perfect first date for season."

"Seriously?" Reggie laughed "Dude, you are so whipped."

"Shut up," Mickey shot back pulling out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Archie asked.

"Texting Cheryl. I'm going to do her couple's costume," he decided "but I am not wearing tights."

* * *

Fred smiled as Mickey, Archie and their friends walked into the trailer early that night, tired and proud of a hard day's work. "Nice work, boys. There's sodas in the fridge."

Moose groaned as he patted his pockets. "I forgot my phone outside. I'll be right back."

As the varsity lineman walked outside, Mickey handed his best friend a soda. "How's your arm?"

"Sore," Reggie groaned as he rotated his shoulder "Good thing I'm not the QB."

Mickey chuckled. "Now you know why Archie's got a cannon for a-," the high school baseball player's eyes widened as he glanced out the window, where he spotted two men attacking a familiar face. "Moose!"

The blue-eyed twin bolted from the trailer without a moment's hesitation, racing to his friend's aid with Reggie and Archie behind him. Mickey came to skidding halt as he found Moose lying on the ground, a strange truck taking off into the night.

"Moose." Mickey bent down in front of his friend, a fire igniting in his belly as he saw cuts and bruises on the Varsity lineman's face. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Moose groaned as she struggled to sit up, only for his stomach to explode in pain.

"Don't move. Don't move, man." Mickey placed both hands as Moose's chest, gently forcing him to lie still on the ground. "Who did this?"

"I don't know. But they said," Moose winced as he struggled to ignore the pain his ribs "They said that as long we keep working, they'll keep coming back."

* * *

Mickey sat with Archie and the others outside the main office trailer, trying to keep his anger under control as Sheriff Keller arrived.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"Moose walked in on a couple of guys taking a crowbar to my equipment," Fred informed "they roughed him up and took off."

"You got any idea why someone would do this?" the sheriff asked.

Fred glanced nervously at Mickey. "Clifford Blossom wants to see this project crash and burn," he whispered "He told me so himself."

"Even so, hiring thugs to destroy equipment and rough up kids doesn't really sound like the Blossom's style," Sheriff Keller criticized.

"It was the Southside Serpents." All eyes turned to Mickey Andrews as he spoke up, his pale blue eyes blazing with fury. "We're building on their turf. They're trying to shake us down."

Jughead Jones nervously stepped forward, a wave of panic washing over him. "When I worked at the Drive-In, the Serpents never bothered me."

"J, you're from the Southside," Mickey reminded "It probably goes against their code."

Sheriff Keller stayed silent for a moment, an uncertain look on his face as he scratched his chin. "You see any Serpent tattoos?" he asked Moose "Any snakes on their jackets?"

"It all happened so fast," the Varsity lineman sighed as he mind drew a blank "Sorry guys. I got nothing."

"It's alright, son. Look, I'll ask around, but I have to be honest with you," Sheriff Keller warned "I don't think this investigation is going to get very far until we ID these guys."

"You have got to be kidding me." Mickey looked ready to punch Kevin's father in the face "A kid nearly gets killed by a gangbangers and that's the best you can do?'

"Mickey," Fred gave his son warning glare "that's enough."

Only Mickey wasn't the only one upset. "That could've been your son beaten to a pulp tonight," Archie snapped.

"I am well aware of that," Sheriff Keller stated strongly.

"Then why don't you stop making excuses," Mickey challenged "and do your job for once?"

"Boys, that's enough," Fred repeated.

"Dad, he's not even trying," Mickey insisted "if we were some big shot like Clifford Blossom, he'd been bending over backwards!"

"That may be true," Fred acknowledged "but this won't change anything. Now I am not going to repeat myself again," he warned "That. Is. Enough."

Mickey clenched his jaw at the authoritative tone in his father's voice, walking back into the office trailer and slamming the door behind him.

"This is my fault."

Mickey laid on his couch at home later that night, his head resting in Cheryl's lap as she gently ran a hand through his hair.

After taking Moose to the hospital, Mickey felt ready to explode, the blue-eyed twin caught in a storm of guilt-filled rage with no end. So he called the only person who'd ever been able to reach at a time like this. Cheryl Rose Blossom.

The scarlet-haired cheerleader found her boyfriend the brink, pacing back and forth across his living a caged animal, ready break free and attack a moment's notice.

After getting him to take a few calming breaths, Cheryl convinced her boyfriend that he needed to relax, coaxing Mickey to lay down as they watched one of favorite movies, Disney's _Hercules_.

The scarlet-haired bombshell glanced down at her boyfriend's head in her lap, his face set in a guilt-ridden sorrow. "You had no idea this would happen."

"It was my idea to ask the guys from school to work the SoDale project, Cheyl. And now, my friend has three bruised ribs a knot on the back on his head." Mickey swallowed a growing lump in his throat. "We need this job, Rosie. My dad's company is hanging on by a thread." The blue-eyed twin felt his blood begin to boil. "I need to fix this."

"How?"

Mickey sighed. "I don't know."

* * *

"Mom's not coming?" Betty and Veronica drew their eyes up from their work as Polly spoke, saddened yet unsurprising look on her face "Is she?"

"She's... invited," Veronica stated, hoping that would be enough to lift the expectant mother's spirits.

"Hey," Betty shot up from her seat as she saw the disappointed look on her sister's face. "It doesn't matter. If mom doesn't want to come, it's her loss."

"Betty," Polly at her sister's unwavering support. She thought she'd be angry. Hurt at the fact that Polly was willing to get married without her. And yet, Betty's love her never faltered. "Will you be my baby's godmother?"

Betty was stunned. "Me?"

"Oh my God," Veronica gasped, placing a hand over her heart.

Polly nodded. "There's nobody in the world I trust more."

"Polly." Betty grinned from ear to ear as she threw her arms around her sister, the two of the laughing with joy as they hugged.

As the two sisters shared a precious moment, Veronica quickly grabbed her phone as it started to ring. "It's the caterer. I'll be right back."

The New York native quickly stepped out as she took the call, the Cooper sister sitting down together on the couch as a nervous look spread across Betty's face. "Polly, can I ask you something? When you started taking your new medication, did you have any side effects?"

"Side effects?" Polly repeated "Like what?"

Betty shrugged anxiously. "Headaches, mood swings...blackouts?" she added tentatively.

"No, nothing like that?" Polly frowned as she noticed the worried look on her little sister's face "Why?"

Betty forced a smile as a pit formed in her stomach. "No reason."

* * *

Archie paced back and forth in his room the next morning, the brown-eyed twin trying to fight the growing rage and panic in his heart as his girlfriend watched. "Things should not be this bad, Val."

"Archie calm down," Valerie insisted gently "talk to me."

"I'm tired of talking!" Archie snapped "Talking doesn't solve anything. All the talk in the world isn't going to help my dad save his business. I need to do something," he decided "anything."

"As long as it's not anything crazy." Valerie's voice softened as she confessed "You're starting to act like Mickey."

Archie felt a protective fire ignite in his stomach as he stood still in the middle of the room. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"I know he's your brother," Valerie acknowledged "but you how gets. The second something goes wrong, he goes nuts."

Archie's jaw clenched up. His heart quickened. His eyes turned to smoldering embers. "You don't know anything about my brother."

"You saw what he did to Dilton Doiley last spring. He fought just about every guy in town by the eighth grade. Archie, come on-,"

"Enough!" Archie's eyes blazed like a pair of raging fires as he shouted at Valerie, causing her to jump "Do you know why Mickey fought all those guys in middle school? To protect me. From the bullies that came after every. Single. Day," he emphasized with a snarl "I was the short, scrawny, blubbering weakling who cried everytime he was reminded that his mom wasn't coming home. So before you want to paint my brother as some of wild animal, get your facts straight!" And without another word, the brown-eyed twin grabbed his letterman jacket and left his room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

If the garage was Archie's music studio, then the attic was Mickey's workshop. After getting hooked on construction, the blue-eyed twin convinced Fred to let him move some of his construction equipment upstairs, where he was able to build models and design blueprints to his heart's content.

The blue-eyed twin stood alone in front of his workbench, dressed in a grey wash denim shirt, dark wash jeans, white Adidas sneakers and clear protective goggles, sanding a long wooden beam as Archie climb up the attic ladder. The blue-eyed twin shut off the electric sander as Archie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey," Archie repeated "What are you working on?"

"It's a baby crib for Polly," Mickey answered, removing his goggles "Should have it done in time for the shower. So, what's going on?"

Archie paused before revealing. "I think I know how to find the guys that beat up Moose."

Mickey's jaw went rigid. His heart started pounding. His eyes saw nothing but red. "How?"

* * *

Mickey and Archie marched into Pop's early that afternoon, the blue-eyed twin wearing his brown leather jacket over his denim shirt, along with Moose and Reggie, the Varsity football dressed in a black leather jacket, a dark blue polo shirt, black jeans and high top sneakers.

Archie quickly spotted Jughead among the crowd of diners at the small-town restaurant, sitting in a booth with Betty and Veronica.

"Dude," the brown-eyed twin quickly made his way across the diner to his friends, sliding into the booth next to Veronica. "Where have you been? I've been texting you for like an hour."

"Archie, Jughead told us what happened last night. Moose," Betty gave the Varsity lineman a worried look "are you okay?"

"I'll do better after we find the guys that did this to me."

"We need your help, Jug. We're taking Moose to the Southside to look for the Serpents that are messing with my dad's business." Archie gave his best friend an expecting look "You in?"

"Wait a minute," Betty gave her boyfriend a surprised expression "You didn't say it was the Serpents."

"That's because we don't it was them," Jughead disputed sharply, causing Betty to squirm in her seat.

Mickey frowned. Since when was Jughead protective of Riverdale's infamous biker gang?

"It's better than doing nothing. Jughead, someone is trying to put my dad's business into the ground," Archie reminded "Kevin knows a guy who can get us into a bar where the Serpents hang out. Once Moose spots that guys that attacked him, we call Sheriff Keller and we get those guys arrested."

"Wait a minute," Reggie interrupted in a disappointed tone "I thought we were going to crack some Serpent skulls."

"Archie, the Serpents are dangerous," Betty reminded gently "They're drug dealers."

"What?" Jughead gave his girlfriend an angry glare "Who told you that?"

Betty stared at him for a moment, the anger and accusation in her boyfriend's voice catching her off-guard "Polly. She said Jason Blossom was dealing drugs for the Serpents so they could leave town, remember?"

"So we're just supposed to take the word of someone who was in an insane asylum barely a week ago?"

Betty's nails began to dig into her palms as her blood began to boil. "She's my sister."

"And my best friend," Mickey reminded protectively "and since when do you care about the Serpents, J?"

The dark-haired boy felt a nervous chill run down his spine. "I...I don't. I just don't think it's a good idea to go down to the Southside and pick a fight with the Serpents?"

"What?"

Mickey cringed as he heard his girlfriend's voice, turning around to face Cheryl, Josie and Midge Klump, the dark-haired girl dressed in a grey suede jacket, a white turtleneck, a short tan skirt and matching knee high leather boots.

"Uh-oh," Reggie whispered in Archie's ear "it's the wives."

"Cheryl," Mickey gave his girlfriend a nervous smile "What are you doing here?"

"Betty asked us to help her put the finishing touches on the baby shower. Now," Cheryl gave the boys a questioning glare "What's this nonsense about going to the Southside?"

"Uh-,"

"They want to go down to the Southside and look for the guys that jumped Moose," Jughead answered, earning a murderous glare from Mickey and Moose.

Cheryl looked ready to slap her boyfriend silly. "Absolutely not."

"Rosie-,"

"Don't 'Rosie' me. Theodore Andrews, you are not going!"

The second he heard Cheryl call him by his full middle name, he knew he was in for it.

He wasn't the only one. "Moose, are you out of your mind?" Midge demanded "Those guys nearly gave a concussion, and now you want to give them another chance?"

"But Pookie-,"

"Oh no," Midge interrupted with a glare "Don't even try to 'Pookie' your way out of this one, Marmaduke."

"When did our lives turn into an episode of The Flinstones?" Reggie asked.

Archie gave his teammate a look. "You see it too?"

"Just whose idea was it to lead an adolescent Arthurian crusade on the Southside?" Cheryl questioned.

"Archie," Moose and Mickey answered at together.

The brown-eyed twin gave his brother and his friend a shocked expression. "Dudes."

"I should've known." Cheryl gave her boyfriend's brother a judgmental glare "Tell me Archibald, does Valerie know about your little crusade to the Southside?"

"Ladies, ladies, ladies." Reggie put on a charismatic smile as he stepped his best friends and their girlfriends "Why don't we all just calm down and-,"

"Shut up, Reggie!" Midge and Cheryl shouted.

The leader of the Riverdale Bulldogs jumped back at the murderous expressions on the girls' faces. "Yikes."

"Uh, guys?" All eyes drew to Kevin Keller as he walked into Pop's, standing next to a blue-eyed boy with long, dark hair.

Mickey recognized him instantly. "You!" The blue-eyed twin growled as he lunged at the dark-haired Serpent, only for Reggie and Archie to hold him back as Kevin did the same with his friend.

"Mickey." Kevin gave his friend a nervous look "You know Joaquin?"

"Know him?" Mickey's eyes were like that of a raging Grizzly "This thug tried to jump me at the Drive-In!"

"Hey, you were to one who came to us looking for a fight," Joaquin disputed strongly.

"Only because you and your boys wouldn't shut up!"

"How about I shut you up, Northsider?" Joaquin challenged.

"Enough!" Archie shouted "Look, you guys can to stay here, that's fine. But I'm going," the brown-eyed twin vowed "by myself if I have to."

"There is no way you're going to the Southside by yourself," Mickey ignored his girlfriend's glare as he announced "I'm going with you."

"Mickey."

"Cheryl," the blue-eyed twin gave her an apologetic look "I have to do this. Reg, you coming?"

The varsity football captain didn't even hesitate. "I got your back."

"I'm going too. Those guys that attacked me are still out there." Moose gave his girlfriend a gentle look "If I don't this, they're only going to hurt someone else."

Midge felt as if a knife were being twisted her stomach as she saw the resolute look on his face. "Just...be careful," she pleaded.

"I will," Moose promised "I love you."

"I love you too."

Reggie rolled his eyes as Riverdale High's oldest couple shared a kiss. "Alright, alright. Enough mushy stuff. Let's go."

"Jughead," Archie gave his best friend an impatient look as he rose from the booth. "Are you coming?"

The dark-haired boy said nothing, looking down at his half empty cup of coffee.

Archie clenched his jaw as a disappointed look spread across his face. "Thanks for having my back."

* * *

"Archie."

The brown-eyed twin turned around as he heard Veronica's voice, the New York native chasing after him as he marched out of Pop's with Moose, Kevin and Joaquin.

"Are you sure about this?" Veronica asked in a deeply concerned voice "if the Southside Serpents are half as bad as they say,"

"Ronnie, I have to do this. My dad's one more bad break from losing his business. Besides," Archie heart skipped a beat as he confessed "he's not the only reason I'm going down there. If the Serpents really are the ones who beat up Moose, then maybe I can find out what they want from your dad too."

Veronica's eyes widened slightly, a surprised yet deeply touched expression on her face. "I didn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't have to. You're important to me, Veronica," Archie told her "and the last thing I want is the Southside Serpents knocking at your door."

Veronica felt her cheeks go red as Archie stared at her, the look in his eyes making her feel as if she was more precious than all the riches in the world. "So, this you being chivalrous? Trying to be my Scottish Superman?"

Archie smiled at the playful tone in her voice, his cheeks slowly turning red. "Maybe."

"How cute. Though I've never really seen myself as the Lois Lane type," Veronica commented.

Archie chuckled. "Yeah, you strike me as more of a Wonder Woman," he said, the thought of the raven-haired girl dressed as the iconic super heroine making his heart race "You know, there's a couple of comics where she and Superman get together."

"I did not know that. Talk about a power couple."

Power couple. That was the phrase Betty used to describe the idea of her and Archie as a couple. He wasn't able to see that with her then, but he could certainly it that with Veronica. Him in his football jersey before a game and Veronica in her Rivervixens uniform, his letterman jacket draped over her shoulders as they walked down the halls. Archie smiled as that playful tune started to echo in his mind. "You have no idea."

* * *

"Reggie."

The leader of the Riverdale Bulldogs turned around as Josie called out to him, dressed a bright yellow jacket, a lightweight grey sweater, dark jeans and black leather boots a worried look on her face.

"I don't think you should go to the Southside," Josie confessed.

Reggie smirked. "I never knew you cared, beautiful."

"Don't flatter yourself, Mantle. Just because I find you annoying doesn't mean want to be the Serpents' punching bag."

"Well I am deeply touched by your concern, pretty kitty," Reggie confessed in a confident yet honest tone "but I'm still going."

"Why? This is the Andrews' fight," Josie reminded "not yours."

"Because Mickey would and has done the same for me," Reggie stated "Last winter, I hooked up with this girl from Centerville at a party. Turned out she had a boyfriend. And he was not happy when he found out I screwed his girl."

"Shocker."

Reggie ignored Josie's sarcasm as he went on. "He decked me. Backed me into a corner. And he was Centerville's star center, so he was twice my size. Dude had me dead to rights. Until Mickey came out of nowhere and cracked a whiskey bottle over his head." The Asian-American athlete chuckled lightly as he remembered the basketball player crumbling to the ground, the blue-eyed twin appearing behind him, holding the jagged remains of the bottle in his hands. "We bolted for the car, floored it and never looked back. Mickey has been doing that my whole life " he told Josie "Everytime I bite off more than I can chew, he's the bails me out. And now, the one time he needs me to help him the way he's always helped me, you want me to bail on him?"

Josie stared at Reggie for a moment, once again surprised by his devout loyalty to his friend.

"Besides, there is no love lost between the Mantles and the Southside Serpents." Reggie's eyes darkened with a long-subdued anger. "They put my brother in the hospital when was sixteen. Broke his arm and cracked two of his ribs."

"My God," Josie said with a horrified gasp "Why would they do that?"

"He was the wrong color."

* * *

"Don't do this." After Mickey decided to go with to the Southside, Cheryl practically became hysterical, begging and demanding him not to go. Which is why the two redheads sat the counter at Pop's the last living Blossom twin's eye full of fear and worry as she pleaded. "Don't go to the Southside."

"Cheryl, I have to," Mickey insisted. "This could be our best shot to help my dad save our business."

"I don't care. I don't want anything to happen to you. Jason went to the Southside," Cheryl reminded "and now he's gone. For we know, one of those demonic Serpents could've killed him for refusing to sell their drugs."

Mickey felt like an idiot. "Rosie." The blue-eyed twin placed a gentle hand on her chin, forcing her look him in the eye as her gaze shifted to the floor. "I am not Jason. I'm not going to the Southside to sell drugs so I can run away and elope with my pregnant girlfriend. Unless there's something you want to tell me." Mickey chuckled as Cheryl swatted his arm. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Look, we're just trying to put a face to the guys that jumped Moose. Once we spot them, we'll call Sheriff Keller's dad and we'll leave. Nothing bad is going to happen," he promised "Okay?"

The scarlet bombshell let out a breath at the reassuring look on Mickey's face, his pale blue eyes gently soothing her fears. But that didn't mean wasn't still worried. "Just promise me something?" Cheryl brought a hand to the bronze pendant around Mickey's neck, running her thumb across the bear head etched into the bronze pendant. "Promise me that you won't let this out of its cage unless absolutely have to."

Mickey a nervous chill run down his spine as he asked. "And if that happens?"

"Don't hold back."

* * *

After saying goodbye to the boys and helping Betty and Veronica finish decorating for the baby shower, Cheryl invited Josie and Midge to over to her place to get ready for the baby shower, the Gothic heroine not yet ready to be alone in her house with her mother.

The three girls stood together in Cheryl's bedroom, wrapped up in elegant silk robes as they did their hair and make-up, looking for the right outfits for the events.

"Midge?" Cheryl frowned as noticed the look on her friend's face "Are you alright?"

The dark-haired girl sat on a small bench by Cheryl's window, nervously wringing her hands together as she asked. "Why did I let Moose got to the Southside?"

The leader of the Rivervixens placed a gentle hand on her fellow cheerleader's shoulder, giving her a soft, comforting look. "I'm sure the boys will be fine."

"Assuming Reggie doesn't do anything stupid," Josie muttered. "Don't get any ideas," she warned, noticing the teasing look on Cherly's face. "I still think he's a dog. But I will admit, there is more to him than I thought." Josie had always assumed Reggie was just another stuck up jock, but after learning about his history with Mickey, she realized that the leader of the Bulldogs was capable of putting others before himself.

Midge chuckled. "Reggie's probably the only one who isn't taking this personally."

"Don't be so sure," Josie warned "his brother got mugged on the Southside when he was our age. Turns out, the Serpents are racists and drug dealers."

"My God," Cheryl gasped.

Josie nodded. She shouldn't have been that surprised. Most of the hate mail her mother received came from the Southside. But she never thought Reggie would face such persecution. Then she remembered that the Mantles were one of the only two Asian families in Riverdale.

At that moment, Penelope Blossom came bursting into her daughter's room, a murderous expression on face. "Cheryl Rose Bloss-," The scarlet-haired mother cut her voice short as she noticed the Mayor's daughter and the dark-haired girl in the room. "Michelle. Josephine. I didn't hear you come in."

The leader of the Pussycats resisted the urge to claw Penelope's eyes out as she smiled. "Hello Mrs. Blossom. Cheryl invited us. We're just getting ready for Polly's baby shower."

"It's funny you should mention that. Because I just got off the phone with Hermione Lodge," Penelope informed "she wanted to know if Nana Rose and I would be joining you at the shower. Cheryl," the scarlet mother turned her gaze towards her daughter, her dark brown eyes blazing with repressed fury "why didn't you tell us we were invited?"

Cheryl's heart stopped. Her faced turned stark white. Her mouth went dry as she struggled to speak. "I-I,"

"You know what? That was my fault, Mrs. Blossom," Josie interrupted "Veronica told me that you and Nana Rose were on the guest list during Pussycat practice and I just spaced." The leader of the Pussycats felt her heart begin to race as the scarlet-haired mother stayed silent, her eyes completely unreadable.

"You girls will get Nana Rose ready?" she assumed.

"Of course," Josie answered, her best friend still to frightened to speak.

"And Cheryl," Penelope glanced back at her daughter as she stood in the bedroom doorway, a warning look in her eye. "Remember what we talked about. Consequences."

As her mother finally walked out, Cheryl took in a desperate breath, her hands naturally finding Josie's as they stood side by side.

"Cheryl?" Midge frowned as she noticed the frightened look on her friend's face "are you okay?"

The leader of the Rivervixens forced a smile as her body trembled. "I'm fine."

* * *

 _"Don't hold back."_

Those were the words that kept repeating through Mickey's mind as he made his way to the Southside with his friends. Cheryl's final request before he left. _"If things go bad, don't hold back."_

No one had ever encouraged Mickey to channel his anger before. Then again, no one was like Cheryl. What others called darkness, she saw as strength. A righteous fury fueled by a desire to protect others. "The heart of a knight in shining armor," she called it.

"You okay, Mick?"

The blue-eyed twin blinked as his brother spoke to him, a deeply worried look on his face.

"Fine," Mickey answered, playing with his necklace "just thinking." The blue-eyed twin glanced skeptically at Joaquin DeSantos, the Southside Serpent leading the way with Kevin Keller by his side. "Are you sure we can trust this guy?"

"Kevin trusts him," Archie said with a shrug "That's good enough for me."

"Kevin isn't using his head. Come on, Archie. I can't be the only one thinking this," Mickey insisted "the son of the sheriff running around with a Southside Serpent? What if Cheryl's right?" he whispered "what if the Serpents did have something to do with Jason's death?"

"I think living working with Jughead's made you paranoid," Archie commented "Look, let's just focus on helping Dad for now, okay?"

"Alright," Mickey agreed in a less than content voice "But that Serpents hurts Kevin, I'll tear him in two."

"The boys came to a stop as they found themselves in front of a small, weathered building entitled The White Wyrm, a dozen of shiny, detailed motorcycles parked out front.

"Aright, everybody just play it cool," Joaquin reminded "and keep the eye contact to a minimum."

"Remember Moose, if we see the guys that jumped you, we leave," Archie repeated "and we call Kevin's dad."

The boys silently filed into the dim lit bar one by one after Joaquin, a nervous chill running down Mickey's spine as he noticed the live rattlesnake hissing in a large glass cage.

He wasn't the only one who was spooked. "We're going to die," Kevin muttered.

"Kev." Mickey placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You are the first freshman to make the Varsity wrestling team in ten years," he reminded "if any of these guys give you trouble, just put them in a choke hold."

"You are aware that choke holds are illegal in varsity wrestling, right?"

"Are you saying you don't know how to put someone in a choke hold?" Mickey asked.

The sheriff's son scoffed. "Of course I know how, I've just never-,"

"Then put them in a choke hold if they mess with you," Mickey repeated.

"Relax, preppy." Joaquin gave the high school wrestler a smile he moved closer "I've got your back."

Mickey rolled his eyes as the two of them walked over to an empty pool table, his muscles becoming tense and rigid as he felt all eyes from the bar on him and his friends. One wrong wrong move, and the Serpents would pounce. As Kevin and Joaquin played pool, Mickey, Reggie and Archie stayed huddle together next to Moose, the four of them quietly scanning the bar for any sight of the men that attacked the construction site.

"Hey," Moose's eyes lit up as he gestured to a bearded man in a thick wool beanie, his back facing the boys as he talked to two other member of the Southside Serpents. "I think that's one of them."

Mickey straightened up as he drew his eyes to where his friend was looking, instantly noticing the man in the beanie. "You sure?"

"I don't know," Moose sighed. "I can't get a look at his face."

"I can fix that." The blue-eyed twin nudged his way past his friends as he headed towards the man in the beanie, surrounded by half a dozen Southside Serpents.

"Mickey, wait," Archie hissed.

But it was no use. Mickey had to know if this was one of the men from the other night. Every second he spent in that bar, the more he on edge he became, like a grizzly bear surrounded by a nest of snakes. And it was taking every ounce of willpower not to stand up on his hinds legs and roar. But that didn't mean he couldn't growl.

Without a moment's hesitation, the blue-eyed twin marched over and shoved the bearded man in the back, causing to turn around with an irratated glare. "You got a death wish, kid?"

"I hear you like to beat up teenagers."

The bearded man chuckled as spotted Archie, Reggie and Moose, walk up behind Mickey. "You know, you boys aren't the first Bulldogs, to come in here looking for trouble."

Mickey felt his eyebrows knit together. Was he talking about Jason? "What are you talking about? What Bulldog?"

The Serpent said nothing, turning his back to Mickey and the others as he scoffed.

"Hey," Mickey grabbed the Serpent by the shoulder as he attempted to walk away "I'm talking to you."

"Get your hands off me!" The bearded man snapped, snatching his arm out of Mickey's grasp.

At that moment, the Southside Serpents descended upon the students of Riverdale High, grabbing their arms and pinning them behind their backs. All but one.

Mickey felt his heart start pounding as he watched his brother and his friends be surrounded by the Serpents, his blood pulsing with electric fury. "You have got five seconds to tell your boys to back off before I-,"

BAM!

Before Mickey could even finish his threat, the bearded man punched in him the jaw, knocking the blue-eyed twin to the ground.

"No!" Archie felt his blood turn to fire as he watched his brother fall to one knee from the force of the blow, the bearded man towering over Mickey as he rubbed his sore knuckles.

"You've got a big mouth on you, kid," the bearded man commented "It's about time someone shut you up."

Mickey stayed silent as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a dark smile forming across his lips. He had kept his promise to Cheryl. And now, he didn't have to hold back.

BAM!

Before anyone could react, the blue-eyed twin shot up from the floor and slammed his fist into the bearded man's face, knocking him off balance. Mickey growled as he followed up with a massive left hook to bearded man's jaw.

"Yeah, Mick!" Reggie cheered "Kick his butt!"

Enraged, the bearded man ducked as Mickey swung wildly, slamming his fist into the teenager's stomach.

Mickey gasped as the air was ripped out of his chest, his lungs screaming for air as his vision blurred.

As he watched his disoriented brother be slammed onto a nearby pool table by the bearded man, Archie saw his shared life with Mickey flash before his eyes: Every drop of blood spilled, every punch thrown, every fight Mickey had ever been in. All to protect him. All his life, Archie had been too afraid or too weak to defend himself or his brother. Well he wasn't weak anymore. And he was done being afraid.

In a burst of rage filled strength, Archie broke free of his captors grasp, charging into the bearded man as he held Mickey down and tackling him into the bar. The brown-eyed twin snarled as he raised his fist and slammed it into the bearded man's face. Over. And over. And over.

Mickey's eyes widened as he watched his brother mercilessly beat the bearded man, his teeth bared and his eyes blazing. This was not just anger. This was fury. This was rage. Mickey had seen glimpses of this before, during the rare moments where Archie was forced to run the ball during a football game, but this time, nothing was held back. For the first time in Archie Andrews' life, the lion was free. And he was out for blood.

Mickey felt a bolt of protective fury course through his veins as he watched one of the Serpents sneak up on Archie from behind. This one nearly seven feet tall. Enraged, Mickey grabbed the first weapon he could find, a pool cue, and shot up from the table, slamming the wooden stick across the giant Serpent's back, the wooden stick breaking in two as the Serpent let out an angry grunt. Mickey ducked as the Serpent turned around and swung at him with a massive fist, the blue-eyed twin countering with a massive right hook to the stomach. The Serpent looked as if he'd been tickled.

CRACK!

Before he could ready another blow, the giant Serpent collapsed as a bar stool was shattered across his head, knocking him out cold. Mickey's eyes widened as Reggie Mantle came into view as the Serpent fell to the ground, a pair of splintered sticks in the Varsity football captain's hands. "Told you I got your back."

Throughout all of this, Archie keep pounding away at the bearded man, the brown-eyed twin's fist quickly becoming drenched in blood as he broke the Serpent's nose.

Reggie was impressed. "Maybe we should start calling him the Mad D-,"

BAM!

Reggie's words were cut off as another Serpent came out of nowhere and slugged him across the face, leaving him wide open as half the bar surrounded him.

"Reggie!" Mickey bolted over as he tried to help his friend, only for one of the Serpents to punch him in his temple, his head spinning as the Serpents grabbed him and dragged him and Reggie over to the bar. Mickey struggled to break free as the Serpents pulled Archie off the bearded man, punching the brown-eyed twin repeatedly in the stomach as the bearded keeled over and spit out a mouthful of blood.

The bearded man snarled as he wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, a murderous gleam in his eye as he drew a razor sharp knife. "You boys just made a big mistake."

"That's enough, Mustang."

Mickey and Archie looked up in surprise as they heard a familiar voice, a man dressed in a Southside Serpent jacket making his way downstairs. FP Jones. "I'll take it from here."

* * *

Archie stood with his brother outside the White Wyrm as their friends headed home, silently flexing his sore, blood-stained hand. What happened to him in there? Beating up that Mustang guy like that? It was like he'd turned into some sort of animal. As his mind raced with fear and self-doubt, Archie noticed that his hand looked less like a hand and more like bloodied paw.

"You okay, Archie-Boy?"

The brown-eyed twin blinked as Mickey spoke, quickly both hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I'm fine."

That was a lie. Mickey knew that. For the first time in his life, Archie had experienced the Andrews family rage. And it terrified him.

"You two sure did number on my boys."

Mickey felt his blood electrify with fury as FP Jones walked out of the bar, an impressed and amused look on his face. "I almost forgot how handy you Andrews boys could be in a fight."

"Glad you liked the show."

FP tilted his head at the dark tone in the blue-eyed twin's voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for the thugs that trashed my father's thousand dollar equipment and tried to cave Moose's head in" Mickey answered sharply "and something tells me I'm looking at the mastermind right now."

"Is that right?"

"You were my dad's business partner right," Mickey reminded "Andrews Construction was supposed to Andrews and Jones. And then he fired you. That's motive. And being a member of the Serpents give you means."

"Kid," FP let out a chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief. "You've got a bigger imagination than Jughead. And that's saying something."

"This isn't a joke," Mickey snapped "My father is one bad break away from losing everything."

"And what, you think I'm responsible?" FP questioned "That I've just been biding my time to get back at your old man after all these years?" the Southside Serpent scoffed "Life's too short for that, kid. I don't who's coming after your dad, but it ain't me. Or any of my Serpents."

"Then who is?" Mickey questioned.

"I don't know!"

"Do better."

"Look here boy," FP gave Mickey a warning glare he stepped towards him, his nostrils flaring and his eyes crackling with rage. FP had seen this look on Fred's face many times before. On the battlefields of Iraq and the halls of Riverdale High, right before he tried to take someone's head off. "If you don't stop trying to play big man on the block, you're going to learn hard way just how wrong you are."

Mickey felt his a nervous chill run down his spine as he saw the Southside Serpents huddle at the door of the White Wrym behind FP. "At least I know not to drive my family away by climbing in a bottle every night."

Before FP could even think of lashing out, a familiar pickup truck pull into the parking lot. "I called him the second you boys walked into the bar."

Fred Andrews stepped out of the truck and walked over, a stern and angry gaze set upon his face. "Get in the car, boys. Now."

* * *

That night at the Pembrook, the Polly Cooper baby shower began. One by one, the guest arrived, bringing smiles, kind words and gifts. Betty was right. This did make Polly feel better. It meant the world to see her old friends again. And to know that they were more than willing to babysit at a moment's notice.

After greeting Midge Klump and her mother, Polly spotted the one woman she never expected to see: Alice Cooper.

Polly felt her heart stop at the sight of her mother at the high class apartment, walking side by side with Betty.

The blonde-haired mother paused nervously for a moment as she stood in front of her eldest daughter. "I'm just so glad that you're safe," she said gratefully "You and the baby."

Polly felt her eyes well with tears. "Oh, mom."

The two Cooper women quickly threw their arms around one another, a warm and gentle smile spreading across Polly's face.

"We're here!"

Polly's eyes snapped open as the Blossoms came bursting in through the front door along with Josie, the leader of the Pussycats wearing a sleeveless gold dress that stopped just above the knee, along with matching heels.

Polly's eyes widened in amazement as walked over to Cheryl, the scarlet bombshell pushing in an elaborate brass baby carriage.

"The best money can buy," Cheryl confirmed at the awestruck look on Polly's face "all I ask is that you make me your baby's godmother."

Polly cleared her throat nervously as she struggled to speak, unable to tell Cheryl that she had already named Betty the godmother of her child.

"Kidding," Cheryl said with laugh, walking behind her grandmother's wheelchair. "Come on, Nana Rose. Let's get you a good spot by the food."

The elderly woman gave her daughter-in-law an icy glare as she spotted Penelope speaking to Polly out of the corner of good eye. "I still don't see why we let her come in the first place."

"Veronica invited her," Cheryl whispered "I didn't have a choice."

"Cheryl?"

The last surviving Blossom twin turned around as Polly Cooper walked over to her, a kind smile on the mother to be's face. "Thank you for coming. I know things haven't always been the best between us."

"I suppose I'm to blame for that. I'm sorry I was never supportive of your relationship with Jason," Cheryl apologized "I guess I just wasn't ready to lose him yet."

"Lose him? Cheryl, I was never trying to take Jason from you," Polly disputed gently "You know, he actually wanted you to be there for the wedding," she revealed "After we got settled at the farm, we were going to call you, and Betty, and Mickey and have you all come out to the farm to see us get married."

Cheryl was stunned. Part of her had always felt abandoned by Jason's plan to run away with Polly. Even after learning that Polly was pregnant. But to know that Jason wanted her present for his wedding..."Really?"

"Yeah." Polly gave her a sympathetic smile as she saw the teary-eyed look on Cheryl's face "You miss him, don't you?"

Cheryl nodded, quickly wiping her eyes. "You?"

"Everyday," Polly confirmed sadly, placing a hand on her stomach. Every time she felt her baby stir, she was reminded that he would never see their child. And how the wonderful man that she was supposed to marry would be nothing more than a memory to their child. "You know, if it weren't for this stupid family feud, I think we could've been friends." The expecting mother reached over and took Cheryl's hand in hers. "Maybe we could start now?"

"I'd like that Polly," Cheryl said with a smile "I'd like that very much."

* * *

"I'm going to kill Jughead."

After giving Fred and FP the slip at the Southside, Mickey and Archie made their way to Pembrook, where they expected to the find dark-haired novelist among the guests at the baby shower. And ask him why he failed to mention that his father was a Southside Serpent.

Needless to say, Mickey was on the warpath. "I'm going to rip his head off and send back to FP in a box."

"No. I'm going to talk to Jughead," Archie corrected, his blood still running hot, though not as bad as his brother "You are going snuggle up with Cheryl and support Polly. And stay away from Jughead."

"Archie, FP Jones is a Southside Serpent," Mickey reminded "Jughead knew that and didn't say anything. He practically lied to us!"

"I know, I know." Archie took a deep breath as his brother's reminder made his blood began to boil, trying his best to keep a level head after the incident at the White Wyrm. "I will talk to Jughead. You just keep the bear in its cage."

The two brothers walked side by side into the Lodge's apartment, where Polly was currently opening the gifts from her guests.

"Teddy." Cheryl's face lit up as her boyfriend made his way into the Pembrook, her smile quickly fading away as she saw the small cut on the corner of his mouth. "What happened?"

"It's fine. Nothing to worry about," Mickey smiled as he took Cheryl's hand in his, the storm of anger in his heart slowly losing its intensity at the sight of her. "You look beautiful. Hey Polly."

"Hey," the mother to be smiled as she pulled her best friend into a warm hug "You made it."

"Of course I did. Sorry, I didn't bring my present," he apologized "it still needs a little assembling. Mrs. Cooper," the blue-eyed twin gave Alice a surprised expression "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Likewise. What happened to your lip?" she asked.

"Roughhousing."

As his brother made small talk with the guests, Archie quickly scanned the room any sign of his best friend, spotting Jughead Jones standing by the desert table with Betty and Veronica. Archie jaw clenched up. His blood turned to fire. His eyes saw nothing but red. The varsity quarterback marched over to his best friend's side, his burning rage coming out in a low, menacing snarl. "You knew. That's why you didn't want us going down there. You knew."

"Calm down," Jughead insisted, the rage in his best friend's eye catching him off guard "What happened?"

"Archie," Betty spoke to her best friend in a low voice, the raging fire in his eyes making her nervous "What's going on?"

"Jughead's father is a Southside Serpent," Archie stated earning a mortified look from his best friend "Did you know that?"

Betty was stunned. "No," she managed in a small voice.

"That's why he didn't want us going down there. To protect him. After everything my dad has done for you," Archie reminded "after he bent over backwards to you out of trouble."

"Archie," Jughead's voice became wracked with guilt "I can explain."

"You better. Because I swear to God, Jughead," Archie's voice became uncharacteristically dark "I am this close to-,"

"Archie." Veronica grabbed the brown-eyed twin's arm as he lunged towards his best friend, the look on his face making the New York native uneasy. The clenched jaw. The flaring nostrils. The eyes that burn like a forest fire. She had seen that face before. On her father.

* * *

Mickey sat with Cheryl on one of the couch, an arm wrapped around her wast she rested her head on his shoulder as they watched Polly open her presents, trying to focus on the shower while his brother speak to Jughead out of the corner of his eye, the blonde-haired girl next door and the raven-haired princess doing their best to keep things civil.

Cheryl noticed the distracted look on his face and frowned. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Mickey locked eyes with her and forced a smile. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"You're a million miles away." Cheryl could tell something was bothering him. She could feel the tension in his arms, see the storm raging behind his piercing blue eyes. "What happened at the Southside?"

Mickey's smile wavered slightly. "I promise I'll tell you everything. Later," he stipulated. Desperate to stay calm, the blue-eyed twin tried to forget about his growing grudge with the Jones family and focused supporting his best friend, a genuine smile spreading across his lips as Polly's lit up at the sight of a mobile decorated with tiny plush lambs from Midge. He hadn't seen her this happy in months. After opening her gift from Alice, the nightlight from her first daugher's childhood, Polly made her way to Penelope's gift: a beautiful antique rocking horse.

"Oh Polly, please come to Thornhill," Cheryl pleaded.

Mickey gave her a confused glance. Last week, she was warning Polly to stay away from Thornhill. Now she was asking her to move in?

"Cheryl's offer is genuine," Penelope confirmed "You would want for nothing. The baby would want for nothing."

Mickey was skeptic. He believed that Cheryl wanted to help Polly and the baby, but he didn't buy that Penelope was on the level. And he wasn't the only one.

Alice scoffed. "You think you can just walk in here, wave a blank check in the air, and buy my daughter?"

Penelope let out a dark chuckle. "It's better than being a pariah. Why else would you send her away."

"To protect her from you." Alice shot back.

As the two mothers began to argue, Mickey's eyes drifted over to Archie and Jughead once again, the two of them arguing hushed tones. Maybe it was the fact that Alice and Penelope were already fighting. Maybe it was the fact that Archie looked ready to punch Jughead at a moment's notice. Maybe it was the fact that every time he saw the Jughead's face, he had to resist the urge to rip it off. Either way, Mickey needed to say his piece. Reaching the edge of his self-control, the blue-eyed marched over to the dark-haired boy from the Southside, grabbing him by his shirt and shoving him into Betty and Veronica. "You little snake."

"Mickey stop," Betty pleaded.

"My dad put his neck on the line for you. He committed a felony to keep off the Sheriff's radar," Mickey reminded "and this is how you pay him back?"

Jughead huffed as he straightened up. "I never asked him to do that."

"You didn't have to. Tell me something, J. Was any of it real?" Mickey asked "Your dad's drinking problem? Your book? You and Betty?"

"Betty?"

"When we went to the White Wrym one of your dad's Serpent buddies said that a Bulldog had showed up there before," Mickey told him "He was talking Jason. When he came to run drugs so he and Polly could leave town."

"No. No, you're wrong," Jughead protested "Serpents don't deal drugs. My father would never do that."

"Yeah. Right," Mickey scoffed "He's real 'Father of the year' material. Jason's cousin overdosed when were kids. There is no way he didn't think twice about dealing. Even to take care of Polly and his kid. So are you with Betty because you care about her," he asked "or so you can keep her from finding out that your father put her sister's fiance in the ground?"

Mickey ducked as Jughead swung wildly at him, a shocked and provoked look on his face as his eyes saw nothing but red. Before anyone could stop him, Mickey clenched his fist and hit Jughead across the face, knocking him into the Lodge's dining room table.

"Theodore!"

Mickey's rage fueled haze cleared as quickly as it came at the sound of Cheryl Blossom's voice, the look on her face making Mickey sick to his stomach. "Rosie, I-," the blue-eyed twin felt his words become stuck in his throat as his rage and fury turned to guilt and shame as he felt the eyes of every single person in the room on him walking out the apartment without saying a word.

* * *

"How did you learn how to do this?" Archie sat patiently in Veronica's kitchen, a large space decorated with black marble squares and dark granite counter-tops, a string of sterling silver appliances set up next to the matching refrigerator and sink, a first aid kit set out in front of him as he gently massaged the hand he used to beat up Mustang, the lack of adrenaline allowing for the pain to reach the surface, flaring up every time his finger made the slightest movement. After Mickey took off, Veronica noticed that Archie's hand was in bad shape, the cut and bruised, blood-covered knuckles already starting to swell, and offered to patch him up.

"My father," Veronica answered, the New York native's back towards the brown-eyed twin as she wrung out the towel she used to clean his hand, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer. "He's been taking boxing lessons since he was ten. He used to live in the South Bronx before Riverdale. When I was little used to help my mom patch him up. I thought I told you to take better care of your hands," she recalled.

"This isn't my playing hand," Archie let out a deep sigh as Veronica placed the ice pack against his sore knuckles, the cool sensation numbing the fiery pain in his hand. "Thanks."

"No problem. So, how's the other guy look?"

Archie's nuetral expression darkened. "A lot worse than me."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Veronica noticed.

"That's because I'm not. My grandmother, she used to say that all the men in our family were natural warriors. Born and bred for war. I never really believed it. Until today," Archie felt his throat start to clench up as he went on "At the bar, Mickey picked a fight with a Serpent named Mustang. And when he got the jump on Mick... Ronnie, I got so mad. I lost it. I pulled him off my brother and I started hitting him. And hitting him, and hitting him. I don't think I would've stopped if the Serpents hadn't pulled me off him," he confessed, nervously using his good hand to play with his necklace. "There is a darkness in me, Veronica. What if I can't control it next time?"

The raven-haired princess felt a stinging pain in her heart as she looked into the young songwriter's eyes, his dark brown orbs full of fear and self-doubt. "Did you enjoy it?"

Archie blinked. "What?"

"The Serpent you beat up. Did you enjoy it?" Veronica repeated "Was it fun for you?"

"No," Archie answered almost instantly "I just wanted to protect my brother."

"There's your answer." The New York native took the brown-eyed twin's hand in hers, gently running her thumb over his damaged knuckles. "This was not an act of darkness," she told him softly "This was an act of brotherly love. Of loyalty. Of nobility."

Archie felt his heart skip a beat as Veronica gently pressed her lips to the bruises on his knuckles, the music that she had inspired gently playing in his head. "Thanks Ronnie."

"Anytime, _Leon_."

Archie felt his eyebrows knit together. "Did you just call me Leon?"

" _Leon_ ," Veronica repeated "it's Spanish. For lion."

Archie's smile widened slightly, the music in his head taking on a Latin inspired feel. And why shouldn't it? Veronica was proud of her heritage. Her parents had taken to visit every country the Lodges could track their ancestry to. Spain, Brazil, Italy, Mexico. So why didn't a song inspired by her reflect the culture she took such proud in? "I like it when you call me Leon," Archie whispered, careful not to butcher the pronunciation "but my favorite's still Archiekins."

"I'll keep that in mind, Archiekins."

* * *

Archie walked into his kitchen later that night, grabbing a fresh ice pack for his hand while Fred silently sipped on a beer. "Dad, I know what you're going to say about going to that bar-,"

"It was dangerous and reckless," Fred confirmed.

"I don't care. Mickey and I want to help you," Archie insisted "the way you always help us."

"We have all done all we can."

It broke Archie's heart to his father so defeated. "Dad, I've been thinking. What if I have a kid someday?" he proposed "and what if that kid hates music? Doesn't want anything to do with it. And instead he says 'I want to build houses and buildings like Grandpa. And Uncle Mickey.' I think that would be pretty cool, Dad."

Fred's eyes sparkled. "That'd be something."

"This company is your legacy," Archie told him "Which means it's mine too. And I'm not going to let it go down without a fight."

Fred felt a fiery pride ignite in his heart as he looked into his son's eyes, the determination and conviction in his dark brown orbs reminding Fred that his kids weren't little boys anymore.

At that moment, Archie jumped as he heard a long bang come from upstairs. "Is that Mickey?"

Fred nodded. "He's been at it for about a half hour. I don't what happened while you were gone, but he seems pretty upset."

"Did you tell him about the Blossoms?"

Fred shook his head. "Archie, when you're a parent, your first and most important job is to protect your kids. Even from the hard truths. There is no way to tell Mickey about the Blossom that ends with him taking it well."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because when I was him," Fred told Archie "When I was your age I was just like your brother. I was short-tempered and reckless. And I got into a lot of fights. Mostly for a girl."

"Mom?"

"No," Fred managed brief smile as he shook his head "No, this was before me and your mother. This girl, she had a reputation for breaking hearts. But I was crazy about her. So were half of the guys at school. Everybody tried to warn me to stay away from her. FP, your mother," he listed off "even Hal and Alice. But I wouldn't listen. Until I caught her with the captain of the wrestling team. That girl was a lot like Cheryl."

"Dad," Archie placed both forearms on the kitchen island as he gave his father a warning "The longer you keep this from Mickey, the worse he's going to take it."

At the moment, the blue-eyed twin came downstairs, his face glazed with a thin layer of sweat, wearing a white tank top and jeans, unwrapping the athletic tape from his fingers. "Hey."

"Hey," Archie repeated "You sure took off in a hurry."

"Can you blame me?" Mickey sighed as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and took a long sip "I punched Jughead right in front of Cheryl."

"You hit Jughead?"

Mickey cringed at the judgmental look on Fred's face. "Hey, he came at me first."

"What were thinking?" Fred scolded "Did you forget what we told you about getting into fights?"

"No. You said that if I start another fight, I'd have to go live in Chicago," Mickey recited "but I didn't start the fight because, like I said, Jughead came at me first. Look, bottom line, I messed up," he admitted "I got to fix it."

"Good," Fred leaned back in his seat as he finished his beer "I doubt Jug's going to want to stay here if he's constantly worried about getting mugged by his roommate."

"I'm not apologizing to Jughead," Mickey scoffed "I got make sure Polly and Cheryl aren't mad at me." The blue-eyed twin felt his lips curl into a grin as he heard a knock at the back door. "And there's part one of Cheryl's apology now." The high baseball star quickly walked over and opened the door, allowing Reggie Mantle to walk in, a faint bruise forming under left eye from his fight with the Serpents.

"I got your text," The leader of the Bulldogs reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an old yellow paperback book, a series of familiar cartoon characters and the words: Greatest Disney Hits in bright red letters on the cover "Where do you want the paper lanterns?"

"Set them up in the tree in the backyard."

"Mickey," Fred gave his son as curious and suspicious glare "What are you up to?"

"I got to apologize to Cheryl," he repeated "Here."

Archie frowned as his brother handed him a crumpled up twenty dollar bill. "What's this for?"

"Payment. For your first real gig." The blue-eyed twin smiled as he heard a knock at the front door "And there's your backup. Coming!"

As Mickey ran through the living room, Fred look at Archie and asked. "What is your brother up to?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, well, well," Reggie's face lit up as Josie and the Pussycats came walked into the kitchen "We just keep running into each other, pretty kitty."

"Shut up, Mantle."

"Archie," Valerie's eyes widened as she noticed the cuts and bruises on her boyfriend's knuckles "are you okay?"

The brown-eyed quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm fine."

"Mickey," Josie gave the blue-eyed twin an impatient look "Why are we here?"

"I want to hire the Pussycats."

Josie tilted her head as Mickey handed her a crumpled ball of dollar bills. "Sixty bucks?"

"It's all I got. I just need you need you guys to play one song with my brother," the blue-eyed twin quickly flipped the pages of the old music book, opening to a specific song and handing it to the high school singers.

Josie blinked. "This is one of Cheryl's favorites."

"I know," Mickey told her "That's why I picked it. so, will you do it?"

Josie stayed silent as she looked at Mickey, his pale blue eyes full of desperation and guilt. He might've had the anger control of a grizzly bear, but she could see how much Cheryl meant to him. "How much time do we have?"

* * *

Josie stood with the Pussycats in the Andrews family backyard, watching Valerie and Archie argue.

"What were you thinking?" Valerie questioned "You could've been killed?"

"Val, for the hundredth time," Archie emphasized "I. Am. Fine."

"Fine? Archie, look at your hand," Valerie protested "You fought a Southside Serpent. A gang member."

"Mickey was in trouble. What was I supposed to do? Just let him get hurt?"

"Maybe convince the Mad Dog not to go down there in the first place?"

Archie felt a fire ignite in his stomach. Why did she always assumed the worst of his brother? "Val, I was the one who Mickey to go."

Valerie's eyes widened. "Why would do that?"

"To help my family!" Archie justified "To find the guys who beat up Moose. Why are you upset about this?"

"Why am I-," Valerie looked ready to slap her boyfriend in the face "Archie, you picked a fight with a biker gang. I nearly had a heart attack when Josie told me what you up to."

"Look Val, I'm sorry that I made you worry," Archie apologized "but I am not to going to apologize for trying to help me brother."

As the couple continued to argue, Josie's eyes drifted over to Reggie Mantle, the Varsity football captain standing on a ladder as he strung a series of paper lanterns in a large oak tree.

"Let me know if they settle down," Josie told Melody. The leader of the Pussycats walked over and to the leader of the Bulldogs. "Hey, I heard about what happened at the White Wyrm. Are you okay?"

"I've been through worse. Don't you worry, pretty kitty," he said with a chuckle "Reggie Mantle can take a punch."

"Reggie Mantle needs to stop talking about himself in the third person."

"Fair enough," he agreed "Besides, it's not like I didn't expect those to come at me the second I walked in."

Josie pressed her lips together at the coldness in Reggie's voice. "I'm sorry about what happened to Oliver. For what it's worth, I know what it's like to have people judge you on the color of your skin."

"I know you do," Reggie told her. Maybe that was why he was drawn to her so badly. She was one of the few people who knew what is was like to stand out against Riverdale's 1950s cookie-cutter mold. That and the fact that she was one of the few girls in town that didn't fall to pieces every time he smiled. "I heard your dad was in town for the variety show," he commented hoping to change the subject "That must've been nice."

"Not really," Josie a dull pain in her heart as she confessed "he left halfway through our set."

"At least he showed up. My father's never been to one of my games."

Josie frowned. "I've seen Mr. Mantle at the football games."

"Mr. Mantle isn't my father." Reggie kept his eyes set on his work as Josie gave him a shocked expression. "My parents split up when I was three. Mom moved here, married my dad, and changed out last name to Mantle. Made it impossible for our father to find us. Or for us to find him."

"Reggie, I'm sorry," Josie told him in a deeply sincere voice "Do you, do you have any who he is? Where he could be?"

"All I know is what Oliver remembers: He's Japanese, used to live Seattle," Reggie listed off "became a college scout after he blew out his knee playing ball. You know what the worst part of is?" he asked "I didn't even know I wasn't a real Mantle until I was ten years old. Ollie came home drunk from a party one night. He and Dad started arguing, like always. And then I heard Ollie say the words: 'You're not my father.'" The leaders of the Bulldogs felt a pit of guilt form in his stomach "For seven years, I had not idea the guy raising me wasn't my father. What kind of son does that make me?"

Josie stared at Reggie Mantle for a moment, truly seeing for the first time, not as some textbook jock with a letter jacket but a real person, with real struggles and real feelings. "Lady and the Tramp."

Reggie frowned. "What?"

"Mickey said you wanted to know my favorite Disney Movie," Josie told him "It's Lady and the Tramp."

Reggie's face broke into a grin. "Oh really?"

Josie didn't know why, but this time he actually got her to blush. "Why are you smiling?"

"My brother has at theory," Reggie explained "find out a girl's favorite Disney flick and you can tell what kind of guy she's into." The Varsity football captain's smile widened as he stepped down from the ladder. "Take yours for example: Lady and the Tramp. The story of an infamous ladykiller who settles down after meeting a very special girl. Sounds like you and me, pretty kitty." The leader of the Bulldogs stepped towards the Mayor's daughter, his heart skipping a beat as he felt her breath tickle his neck. "You say cats and dogs don't mix. But I'm not just a Bulldog." Reggie reached under the collar of his shirt, revealing a jade pendant carved into the shape of a tiger, hanging from a thin gold chain. "My Chinese Zodiac. We're more alike than you think."

"Maybe so."

"Care to talk about over dinner?" Reggie offered "I know this great Italian restaurant out in Greendale."

"I bet you do," Josie said with a chuckle "full of candlelight and Disney magic." the leader of the Pussycats placed a finger on Reggie's chest, stopping him as he attempted to kiss her "but this ain't the movies, honey. And if you want a date with this lady, you're going to have to work for it."

Reggie's eyebrows knit together curiously as Josie reached into his jacket pocket, taking out his phone and typing away on the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you my number."

Reggie looked as if he'd just won the lottery.

"Don't get your hopes up," she warned "This is a trial basis. So be honest, be patient and behave," Josie emphasized "and maybe I'll let you take me to dinner."

Reggie smirked as Josie handed him back in phone, singing loud and off key as he walked away. "Oh, this is the night, the most beautiful night."

"Leave the singing to the professionals, Mantle!" Josie shouted back to him, laughing softly to herself as she headed back over to Melody, watching as Archie Valerie worked on the music arrangement in silence. "Those sort things out?"

"Hard to say," Melody answered "But we should be able to get this gig done. You think Cheryl will show?"

Josie felt a knot form in her stomach at the mention of her best friend. "I hope so."

* * *

Cheryl shrieked as her mother hurled a wine glass at her, the crystal shattering against the wall as it barely missed her head.

"You little tramp." Penelope snarled as she marched toward the daughter, the gothic heroine cowering in fear as she was backed into a corner. "This is all your fault. We were this close to bringing Polly to Thornhill, until your little tramp of a boyfriend ruined everything."

"You did that yourself."

All eyes turned to Nana Rose as she spoke, her granddaughter silently pleading with her to stay quiet while Penelope looked ready to rip the elderly woman's head off. "You're the one who picked a fight with Alice Cooper," Nana Rose reminded "If you weren't so desperate to convince the world that you're better than her, perhaps Polly wouldn't have left her own party in tears."

Penelope's face turned with anger. "How dare you-,"

"No mommy!" Cheryl quickly grabbed her mother's arm as she lunged at Nana Rose, the leader of the Rivervixens desperate to protect her grandmother from any harm.

In the blink of an eye, Penelope whipped around and slapped Cheryl across the face, causing her daughter to stumble back as she cried out in pain.

"Don't ever tell me what to do!" she shouted "Is that clear!?"

"I'm sorry," Cheryl sobbed, her eyes swelling with tears as she cowered in fear.

"Yes, Cheryl. You are sorry," Penelope confirmed "a sorry, pathetic, waste of a daughter!"

Cheryl shrunk back as her mother lashed out her, the insults tearing away at what little remained of her heart.

"I warned you, Cheryl," Penelope reminded "I told you there would be consequences if you failed me again."

"Mommy." Cheryl's words were like that of a petrified child "Please."

Penelope's eyes were completely devoid any emotion. "You brought this on yourself."

* * *

Cheryl cried silently as she say alone on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest as she cried, a newly gained bruise forming on her cheek.

No matter what she did, Penelope always hated her. No matter how many straight As Cheryl got, no matter how many swim trophies she won, one mistake and Cheryl was back to being her mother's punching bag. She could never get Penelope to love her.

Jason did. As he got older and more devoted to sports, Penelope began to show kindness towards her son, while Cheryl received nothing but abuse. Jason did his best to curb his mother's rage, to stop her whenever Penelope attempted to abuse his sister. But he couldn't protect Cheryl all the time.

Cheryl jumped as her phone began to ring, the pain in her heart ebbing slightly as she saw the caller ID on her phone. "Mickey?"

 _"Cheryl?"_ The blue-eyed twin's voice became concerned as heard his girlfriend sniffle through the phone _"Are you okay?"_

"Yeah. I'm fine." Cheryl quickly cleared her throat, trying her best keep her voice level "I was just... watching Bambi. I always cry the mom dies. Did, did you need something, Teddy Bear?"

 _"I wanted to apologize, for what I did at the shower."_

"Mickey, you don't have to-,"

 _"Yes, I do,"_ he insisted _"Do you think you could come by my place tonight? Please?"_

Cheryl stayed silent for a moment as she got up from her bed, walking over to the vanity mirror in the corner to inspect the growing bruise on her face. "Give me twenty minutes?"

 _"Okay. And Cheryl?"_ Mickey's voice bubbled with a nervous excitement as he requested _"Wear that dress from the baby shower."_

* * *

Cheryl didn't know what to expect when Mickey asked her to come over. Much less why he requested such elegant attire. While she was upset, she assumed Mickey was being far harder on himself than she ever could. She knew how sensitive he was about his temper. How hard he worked to keep the beast inside under control. And even though she was beaten for his actions, Cheryl didn't blame Mickey at all. Like Nana Rose said, Penelope was the one who drove Polly away.

Following her boyfriend's request, Cheryl made her way into the Andrews' family backyard, a modest but green and lush space, with an iron barbecue grill by the back door and a large oak tree in the middle, covered in the light a dozen twinkling paper lanterns. Underneath the tree stood Archie, Josie, the Pussycats and Mickey, the blue-eyed twin wearing a dark wash denim shirt, dark wash jeans and sneakers.

"Mickey," Cheryl gasped as she stared at the lanterns glowing in the tree, like stars hanging just out of reach. "What is-?"

Before she could even say another word, Archie began to play a familiar tune, singing softly while Josie and the Pussycats vocalized in harmony vocalized in harmony.

 _"There you see her, sitting there across the way_

 _She don't have a lot to say, but there's something about her_

 _And you don't know why but you're dying to try_

 _You want to kiss the girl."_

"I told you I wanted to is it." Mickey smiled as he walked over and placed both hands on Cheryl's waist gently swaying her back and forth as Josie took over the lead vocals.

 _"Yes, you want her,_

 _Look at her, you know you do_

 _Possible she wants you, only one way to ask her_

 _It don't take a word, and she won't say_

 _Until you kiss the girl."_

"You asked me what happened at the Southside, why I was so on edge when I came to the baby shower." Mickey spoke to Cheryl in low whisper as he revealed "Jughead's dad used to be my dad's business partner until he started drinking. And now he's a Southside Serpent. And Jughead didn't say anything."

"Is he a Serpent too?" Cheryl asked.

"I don't know. But I don't trust any of the Jones family anymore."

At that moment, Archie and the Pussycats began to sing together, uniting their voices as the came to the chorus.

 _"Sha, la, la, la, la, my oh, my_

 _Looks like the boy's too shy_

 _Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

 _Sha, la, la, la, la, ain't that sad?_

 _Ain't it a shame? Too bad_

 _He gonna miss the girl."_

"As much as I adore a grand gesture, you could've just told me what happened," Cheryl informed, as she and her boyfriend continued to dance.

"Better safe than sorry. After the way you looked at me at the shower," Mickey felt a lump form in his throat as the memory caused a pain in his heart "Rosie, I don't ever want you to be afraid of me."

"Teddy," Cheryl gave her boyfriend a soft, comforting expression "I was never afraid of you. Not even after you hospitalized Dilton Doiley. I saw Hobo Jones take a swing at you at the shower. What you saw at the Pembroke, that wasn't fear. Surprise, maybe disappointment, but never fear." The leader of the Rivervixens placed a hand on Mickey's cheek, her dark brown eyes meeting his pale blue orbs. "You are a fighter, Teddy Andrews. A warrior. I've known that since our days on the playground," she told him, how Mickey would always defends his brother and their friends from the larger children from the Southside. Cheryl gently removed her hand from Mickey's face and brought it to the his necklace, rubbing her thumb across the bronze face etched into the pendant. "Bears aren't like other great predators. Yes, they can be fierce and ferocious. But only when provoked."

Mickey stared at Cheryl for a moment, once again amazed at how she saw his rage as righteous fury, pulling her body closer to his as Archie and the Pussycats continued to sing.

 _"Sha, la, la, la, la, don't be scared_

 _You've got the mood prepared,_

 _Go on and kiss the girl_

 _Sha, la, la, la, la, don't stop now_

 _Don't try to hide it_

 _How you want to kiss the girl."_

"You know if you keep up with all these grand romantic gestures, I might expect them to commonplace," Cheryl warned.

"It's funny you would say that," Mickey said with a chuckle "because Kevin believes you loving Little Mermaid so much means you have a thing for romantics."

"Is that right?"

"Mm-hmm." Mickey placed a gentle hand on Cheryl's chin, tilting her head to look him in the eye "And if that's what it takes to keep you in my life, then that's what I'll do." As they continued to sway side to side to the music, Mickey felt his heart skip a beat his ears focused in on the words that his brother and his friends were singing, the lyrics echoing his thoughts.

 _"Kiss the girl, kiss the girl_

 _Kiss the girl."_

So he did.

* * *

Archie sat alone in his garage later that night, tentatively strumming his guitar as he studied a page of sheet music. After performing for Mickey and Cheryl with the Pussycats, the brown-eyed twin decided to give his brother and his girlfriend some time alone, taking the book full of Disney songs to entertain himself.

The aspiring musician stared intently at the music to one of his favorite Disney films, softly singing along as he worked to memorize the chords.

 _"The second star to the right, shines in the light for you-,"_

At that moment, the brown-eyed stopped playing as his phone began to ring, a smile spreading a cross his face as he read the caller ID and answered the phone. "Betty."

 _"Archie."_

The varsity football captain straightened up at he heard the pain in his best friend's tone. The trembling voice and shaky breaths making it clear that she was crying.

 _"Where's, where's Jughead?"_ Betty asked between sniffles _"Is Jughead there?"_

"He was. But he went to Pop's to work on his book." The dark-haired boy from the Southside often went to the twenty four diner to write during late hours, usually turning off his phone to reduce distractions. "Are you okay?" Archie asked.

 _"No."_ Betty chocked back a sob as she revealed _"My mom just kicked my dad out. He wouldn't let Polly come home if she kept the baby,"_ she explained, her breathing becoming short and ragged as she went on _"He wanted her to get an abortion, Archie. He wanted to kill is own grandchild. How could he... How could he do something like that?"_ The more Betty talked, the more heartbroken she became, until her words became series of gut-wrenching sobs.

Archie wanted to hug her. To run across the street and hold her in his arms until the tears stopped. But he couldn't. Betty wasn't his girlfriend and Archie wasn't his boyfriend. It was his place. But he couldn't just do nothing.

Then, remembering a moment from their past, Archie quickly flipped through the book in his lap until he found the song he was looking for, putting his phone on speaker as he set it down and picked up his guitar, playing a familiar song as he began to sing.

 _"You've got a friend in me, You've got a friend in me_

 _You've got troubles, I got them too._

 _There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you._

 _We stick together, we'll see it through_

 _You've got a friend in me."_

At he continued to sing, Archie thought about the lyrics, and how they perfectly described his relationship with Betty. She was his oldest and closest friend. They went through their first day of school together. They'd buried their grandparents. And yet they survived, by leaning on each other. And if Archie had to help Betty deal with the absence of a parent in her life, he was more than willing to do so. Because she had done the same for him.

 _"Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am_

 _Bigger, stronger too."_

As Archie kept singing, Betty was reminded of what made Archie truly special. Not his muscles or his brain, but his heart. His unrivaled ability to care and protect those closest to him. At that moment, the blonde-haired girl next door began to sing along, her voice starting out soft and timid but growing strong and clear as she went on.

 _"But none of them will ever love you_

 _the way I do, It's me and you."_

Archie smiled heard Betty begin to sing, knowing that his message had been received as they finished the song.

 _"And as the years go by,_

 _Our friendship will never die_

 _You're going to see it's our destiny_

 _You've got a friend in me_

 _You've got a friend in me."_

As he set down his guitar, Archie thanked God as he realized that Betty had stopped crying, a small smile spreading across his lips "Do you remember when your grandmother died, and we stayed up all night with Mickey and Polly, watching Disney movies?"

 _"Yeah."_ Betty managed a weak laugh as the memories ran through her mind _"We must've watched the Toy Story trilogy a hundred times."_

"They were the only ones we could all agree on. I've got a book here, it's full of Disney songs. I could play something else," Archie offered "If it'd make you feel batter."

 _"Do you,"_ Betty let out a sniffle as she asked _"Do you know the one from Sleeping Beauty?"_

Archie chuckled at his best friend's request, remembering how obsessed she was with the Disney princess as a child. "You got it." The brown-eyed twin flipped through the book until he found the correct sheet music, following the notes on the paper as he played the melody of the song. As he started to sing, Archie remembered the dream he had about the girl next door, how she shined with the light and the warmth of the sun, how her kiss filled him with purest sense of peace and serenity.

 _"I know you_

 _I walked with you, once upon a dream_

 _I know you,_

 _The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."_

Betty smiled as Archie continued to sing, the sweet sound of his voice soothing her heartbroken nerves. As she started to sing with him, Betty remembered the dance they shared at the Back-To-School-Formal, and how she dreamed that night would've gone. Archie saying yes to them being a couple. The bottle landing on her at Cheryl's party. Study dates at Pop's. Working on songs and articles together. Becoming the power couple of Riverdale High. And although things didn't end up the way she'd hoped, she would always have the dreams.

 _"And I know it's true,_

 _That visions are seldom what they seem_

 _But if I know you I know what you'll do,_

 _You love me at once, the way you did_

 _Once upon a dream."_

* * *

After Archie and the Pussycats stopped performing, Mickey and Cheryl made their way inside, slowly swaying back and forth across the living room as they danced to the music playing from his phone, _Latch_ by Sam Smith.

"So does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?" he asked.

Cheryl smiled as she let out a soft hum, her head resting on Mickey's chest, her arms draped around his neck as he gently held her by the waist. "If it weren't for your dad's watchful eye, I'd show you just how not mad I really am."

"My dad isn't here."

Cheryl's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. I told him that the Pussycats would be here all night so he went to the movies. Jughead took off while we were getting ready and my brother's in the garage. So we've got the whole house to our-," Mickey's words were cut short as Cheryl pushed him onto the couch, the scarlet bombshell straddling his lap and giving him a fiery kiss.

Mickey's heart raced as her kissed back with equal measure, his hands running up her back as Cheryl's finger roamed his chest, the two redheads giving in to their burning desires.

Cheryl winced slightly as Mickey placed both hands on the side of her face, his thumb catching the makeup hidden wound on her cheek.

Mickey frowned as he Cheryl pulled away ever so slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Cheryl lied, forcing a smiled "Nothing."

Mickey pulled away as Cheryl attempted to kiss him again, noticing a faint discoloration on her cheek. "What is that?"

"What's what?"

"That." Mickey wiped at the mark on Cheryl's cheek, revealing a tiny bruise on her face.

Mickey's blood turned to lightning. His heart pounded like thunder. And every bone in his body wanted nothing more than to hunt down whoever was responsible and make. Them. Pay. "Who did this to you?"

Cheryl said nothing, her heart desperately pounding to escape her chest as her blood turned to ice. She was excited to him tonight, so desperate to get away from Penelope that she forgot to apply her makeup evenly.

"This is why you've been acting so weird lately," Mickey realized "isn't it? You've been hiding this from me all week."

Cheryl stayed silent, her entire body trembling in fear and shame as her eyes started to swell with tears.

"Rosie, don't cry. Don't cry, baby." Mickey pleaded, gently wiping the tears from her face "It's going to be okay." The blue-eyed twin forced a weak smile as he looked into Cheryl's eyes, her dark brown orbs trapped in a state of absolute terror, causing a lump to form in his throat "I'm going to protect you. I'm going to make sure this never happens again," he promised "I just need to you to tell who did it." Mickey felt his heart start to break as Cheryl stayed silent, his voice becoming little more than whisper "let me be your knight."

Cheryl blinked slowly as the tears continued to rain down her face, single word barely slipping past her lips. "Mommy."

Mickey's eyes widened. "Your mother did this to you?"

"Before it was just s...slaps to the face. Then she started...chocking me. And after the baby shower...," with every word, Cheryl's voice began to tremble more, a strangled sob escaping her lips as she chocked "she threw a wine glass at my head."

Mickey felt his heart start to crumble as Cheryl buried her face in his chest as she cried, gently wrapping his arms around her as he took extra care not to put any pressure on any other wounds she may be hiding. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since I was seven."

Seven. Mickey felt sick to his stomach. It all lined up. During their first half of grade school, Cheryl was far cry from the feisty redhead that Riverdale now knew her to be. Kind. Warm. Gentle. Like Betty. But as time went on, she changed. Now Mickey knew why. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cheryl sobbed. "I didn't want you to leave me."

Mickey pulled away from her ever so slightly, his pale blue eyes trying to meet her dark brown orbs. "Leave you?"

"You think that I'm special, that I'm some magic mermaid from your dreams. But I'm not. My own mother doesn't even want me." Cheryl hung head in shame as her mother's words echoed in her mind "I'm worthless."

Mickey could hardly believe his ears. "Cheryl, look at me," he told her, gently placing a hand on her chin, forcing her to meet his eye "You are not worthless. Or unwanted. Or unimportant. You saved my life Rosie," Mickey reminded with a teary smile "Now how many girls can say that? Cheryl Rose Blossom, you are the most confident, kind, beautiful, amazing person I have ever met. And there is nothing," he emphasized "that could ever make me leave you."

Cheryl stared at Mickey for a moment, the rivers of coming to a stop at her boyfriend's kind words. "You really...you really think I'm amazing?"

Mickey gave her a brief smile. "I do."

"My mother doesn't think so. She hates me." Cheryl gave him a heartbroken look as she asked "Why does she hate me?"

Mickey felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. "I don't know."

"I work so hard to please her. To give any reason to love me. But all she does is hurt me," Cheryl's eyes stung as a new river of tears began to form "I just want her to stop hurting me."

"I know." Mickey quickly pulled Cheryl into his arms as she wept, gently rubbing small circles across her back as she trembled in his arms. "It's not your fault, Rosie. Never forget, it's not your fault." The blue-eyed twin gently pressed his lips to her forehead, blinking slowly as he fought to keep his own sorrow at bay. She didn't deserve this. Cheryl deserved a mother that would love and protect her. Not slap her around every over every little mistake. At that moment, Mickey felt guilty for ever being mad at Mary. She might've moved away to Chicago, but at least she never hit her kids. "Does anyone else know about this?" he asked.

"Josie," Cheryl answered between sniffled "Just Josie."

Josie. That explained it. How fiercely she warned Mickey not to hurt Cheryl. How she glared at him whenever he got frustrated. The endless sleepovers she and Cheryl had.

The two redheads jumped at the sound of a car pulling up into the driveway, a pair of headlights shining through the window. Fred.

"You can't tell him," Cheryl insisted, recognizing the look on Mickey's face "Promise me you won't tell him."

"Rosie, you can't go back to that house. Please, let he help you," Mickey begged "I still have Polly's emancipation papers. I can call my mom and get her to-,"

"No," Cheryl snapped "I can't leave my Nana, Mickey. My mother's the one who put in a wheelchair in the first place."

Mickey didn't know what shocked him more. That fact that Penelope crippled her mother-in-law or that Cheryl was willing to go back to Thornhill to protect her grandmother.

"Nana Rose is the only family I have left. Please don't make me leave her Mickey," Cheryl pleaded between tears "Please don't make me leave her."

"Okay, okay." Mickey gently pressed his forehead against hers, blinking slowly as he chocked out the words "I promise I won't tell anyone. But you need to do something for me."

"What's that?"

"Spend the night."

"Spend the-," Cheryl's eyes widened in disbelief. "Mickey, your father is literally about to walk through the door any second."

"I have an idea. Take this," he instructed, handing her his house key "Drive your car around the corner and then wait for me and my dad. Come in through the back door and head upstairs to the attic."

"The attic?"

"I'll be back as quick as I can," Mickey promised "Now, go."

At the sound of the keys in the door, Cheryl jumped from her seat and took off through the kitchen.

Mickey took in a sharp breath as he quickly dried his eyes, forcing a smile as he glanced over the couch. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, son." Fred greeted, walking into the living room "How'd things go with Cheryl?"

"Good. Really good. Hey, do you think you could give me a ride to the Pembroke?" Mickey requested "I never got the chance to give Polly her present."

Fred furrowed his brow as he noticed the tense look on his son's face. "Sure. Let me just freshen up real quick."

"Thanks." As Fred headed up to the bathroom, Mickey nervously wrung his hands together, the haunting tale of Cheryl's life echoing in his mind.

 _"Slaps to the face. Chocking me. Since I was seven."_

Mickey didn't know how he could protect Cheryl long-term, but he did know one thing: If he ever saw Penelope Blossom again, he'd kill her.

* * *

Mickey knocked on the door to the Lodge's apartment later that night, fighting back a scowl as Hermione came to the door. "Mrs. Lodge," he greeted in a somewhat cordial tone "Can I come in?"

"Of course, Mickey." The raven-haired mother stepped aside as Mickey walked in, wheeling in a large hand-carved piece of furniture. "That's a lovely crib," she told him.

"It's beautiful," Veronica agreed, the New York native setting down her phone once she saw what her friend had built.

"I made it myself. For Polly. Is she here?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah. I'll go get her for you," Veronica offered, getting up from her seat and heading to the guestrooms, leaving Mickey and Hermione alone.

"Won't you sit down?" Hermione offered, after moment of silence.

"Sure. Sorry I picked a fight in your living room," Mickey apologized.

Hermione felt a smile tug on the corner of her lips as the blue-eyed twin took a seat on the couch. "I am more than familiar with the Andrews family temper. Your father got into more than his fair share of fight when we were your age."

"He never said anything."

"I'm surprised," Hermione admitted, taking a seat on the chair next to the couch "Your grandmother nearly sent him to military school."

"That sounds like her." After a moment of silence Mickey asked. "Did you know that FP Jones is a Southside Serpents."

Hermione felt a nervous chill run down her spine while her face remained nutrueal. "I knew that he was friends with them in high school. But I had no idea he became a member. Do you think they had something to do with Moose getting hurt."

"Maybe. Or maybe it has something to with our bookkeeper owing them money."

Hermione tilted her head at the accusatory tone in the young man's voice. "You don't like me very much, do you Mickey?"

"What gave it away?"

"And why is that?" Hermione asked.

"Same reason your daughter's not a fan of you two seeing each other," Mickey answered "You're married."

"So is your father."

"He didn't say yes to Latin Luciano."

Hermione felt an unsettling pit form in her stomach. "I wouldn't get used to that name if I were you. Veronica hates it. So does Hiram. He won't like hearing it when he gets back."

"I wouldn't bet on that. My mom seems pretty confident he's going to rot behind bars. Did you know that she's a Chicago ADA?" Mickey asked "She got promoted over the summer. She made it pretty clear that she was not a fan. She had a lot to say about you too," he added "once she found out that you had moved back to Riverdale. I got to say, I never would've guessed you and Mrs. Cooper used to be best friends," Mickey marveled "but I guess screwing the man that would become her husband will ruin any friendship. Tell me," Mickey felt a dark sense of satisfaction wash over him as Hermione began to squirm in her seat "was that before or after you cheated on my father with Mr. Lodge?"

"Mickey, I made more than my fair share of mistakes in high school," Hermione admitted "but I am not that person anymore."

"Could've fooled me. You stabbed my father in the back after he tore his ACL. And now your husband's facing jail time, you're cheating on him," Mickey recapped "Once a homewrecker, always homewrecker."

Hermione scowled at the mention of her old nickname from high school.

"My dad may not be willing to see you what you are, but I do. I know you and your husband are up to something," Mickey revealed "that you bought the Drive-In land. Just keep my father out of it," he demanded "or I will make sure that you and Hiram spend the rest of your lives behind bars."

Hermione's shame turned to anger. "Are you threatening me?"

Mickey's thoughts drifted to the inscription on the back of his necklace. _Strength in numbers._ For him, that meant helping one another, protecting each other, watching each blind spots. Hermione was Fred's blind spot. "I guess I am."

"Oh my God." All eyes drew to Polly Cooper as she walked into the room with Veronica, the expecting mother's eyes widening as she saw the handmade crib sitting by the couch. "Mickey, did you make that?"

"Sure did." Mickey's scowl broke away to reveal a warm grin as he gave his best friend a hug. "And I've got the splinters to prove it. Sorry I wrecked your shower."

"You didn't ruin it," Polly assured him "Mom and Mrs. Blossom did that all by themselves."

"I still feel like I've been a bad friend." Mickey confessed. He got her sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Let the Blossoms turn her into public enemy number one. And then he sucker punched her sister's boyfriend.

Polly gave him a reassuring look. "If you're such a bad friend, would I be making you my baby's godfather?"

Mickey looked as he'd just gained the power of flight. "Seriously?"

Polly nodded. "You're the best friend I've ever had. And I can think of no one better than you and Betty to- aah!,"

The expecting mother let out a yelp as Mickey picked her up like she weighed nothing, the blue-eyed twin spinning her around in absolute joy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" As he set her down, Mickey phone went off as he got a text from Cheryl: _Where r u?_

The blue-eyed twin paled. "Polly, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later," he promised. And he took off.

* * *

Mickey was an artist. Cheryl was never would've guessed if she'd never seen his attic. It was a small space, lit by three hanging light, a single window on the back wall overlooking the Cooper house across the street. By the left wall, next to an old green couch where Cheryl sat, was a large bookcase full of beautiful wooden carvings, a series of incredibly detailed model boats and cars and four statues: a lion, a griffin, a horse and a bear. By the right wall, hanging under a hanging shelf full of hammers, saws, and drills, sitting on a carpenter's workbench, was an unfinished carving of what looked to be a mermaid, one with a strong resemblance to Cheryl.

The scarlet-haired bombshell jumped as she heard someone coming up the attic ladder, letting out a sigh of relief as Mickey Andrews came into view, holding a handful of lines and a pair of yellow pajamas.

The blue-eyed twin dropped the blankets on the coffee table in front of the couch and ran over to Cheryl, wrapping his arms around her as she let out a deep sigh, burying her face in his chest.

"Sorry it took me long," he apologized "Did anyone see you come in?"

"I don't think so," Cheryl whispered with a shaky breath "What is this place? Your man cave?"

"More or less." Mickey's face turned bright red as he noticed the unfinished statue on his workbench, rushing over and throwing an old towel over it. "That's not ready yet." Ignoring the teasing look on Cheryl's face, Mickey walked over and moved the coffee table to the middle of the floor, removing the cushions from the couch. "It's a pullout couch. It's old, but pretty comfortable. I should now, crash here just about ever other night," he confessed with a chuckle "whenever Jughead and Archie are up late playing video games."

"Then why didn't we come up after I made dinner?" Cheryl questioned.

"Because this room isn't soundproof."

Cheryl gave her boyfriend a look as he continued making the bed "Are you saying that I'm loud?"

Mickey smirked as he finished pulling out the mattress and started making the bed "I'm not the one who was biting on a pillow on your birthday," he reminded, causing Cheryl's jaw to drop. After finishing the bed, Mickey handed Cheryl the pajamas. "They're my mom's. She still keeps couple days worth of clothes here in case she comes to visit."

"Thanks." Cheryl ran a hand over the soft yellow fabric. "You didn't have to do this."

"Yes I did." Mickey ran a gentle thumb over the bruise on Cheryl's cheek "This is my fault. Your mom did because of me. Because I hit Jughead at the shower." Mickey's eyes swelled to the brim with tears as he voice began to crack "Rosie, I am-,"

"Stop." Cheryl put both hands on the side of Mickey's face, his pale blue orbs overflowing with guilt "This isn't your fault, Mickey. My mother ruined her chances to lure Polly to Thornhill all by herself. She was going to hit me no matter what you did."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Cheryl told him, a tired and weary look spreading across her dark brown eyes "Whenever things don't go her way, Mommy takes her anger out on me. It's been that way since I was a little girl."

Once again, Mickey was in awe of Cheryl. On one hand, he was amazed at the strength it took for her to endure so much abuse for so long. On the other hand, it broke his heart to see her so accustomed to living under a constant threat of her safety. "I'll let you get some sleep."

"Teddy?" Mickey stopped walking towards the ladder as Cheryl called out to him. "Will you stay with me?"

The blue-eyed twin stayed silent as he glanced at the bed and back at Cheryl.

"I promise I won't seduce you," she assured him "please?"

Mickey felt his willpower melt away as he looked into Cheryl's eyes, her dark brown orbs timid and insecure. He should've know how upset she was when she called him Teddy. He was Teddy Bear when she was happy. When she was upset, she called him Theodore. But she only called him Teddy was nervous. "Okay." The blue-eyed twin's heart started pounding against his chest as he nervously removed his shirt, turning around in embarrassment as Cheryl began to step out of her dress.

Cheryl smiled. Mickey must've seen her naked at least a dozen times, and yet he got flustered at the sight of her getting ready for bed? "You can look now," she announced, now wearing Mary's pajamas. The two redheads silently climbed into bed, Cheryl resting her head on Mickey's chest while her gently wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I meant what I said before Rosie," he whispered "I'm going to find a way to keep you safe. I promise.

* * *

 _Mickey rode on the back of a jet-black horse in the middle of the night racing through a deep, dark forest as Cheryl clung to his waist for dear life._ _The blue-eyed twin was dressed from head to toe in a suit of armor, a sword and scabbard hanging from his belt, while Cheryl wore long red gown of the finest silk._

 _The last surviving Blossom twin looked over her shoulder as they continued to ride, a large, almost sentient fog of black red moving towards them. "She's getting closer!"_

 _"We're almost there!" Mickey told her. The blue-eyed twin felt a sliver of as castle came into view as they reached the edge of the forest, a massive stone fortress set in the middle of the Scottish highlands, overlooking a massive river._

 _Mickey brought the horse to skidding stop as they passed through the main gate, where Archie, Fred and Mary were there to meet them, the brown-eyed twin and his father each wearing a suit of armor similar to Mickey's, while Mary wore a gorgeous dark green gown._

 _"Son," Fred glanced curiously at the young woman sitting on the back of Mickey's horse. "What is she doing here?"_

 _"A witch is hunting her," Mickey informed them, the very words creating ball of rage in his stomach as they left his lips "I promised her our protection."_

 _"A witch?" Fred repeated "How are we supposed to defend against a witch?"_

 _"The Guardian."_

 _"The Gaurd-?" Fred looked at his son as if he'd gone mad "Can you even control its power?"_

 _"For her?" Mickey locked eyes with Cheryl as Archie helped her down from the horse. "Absolutely."_

 _"Wait." Cheryl grabbed the blue-eyed twin by the arm as he attempted to turn the horse around, wrapping an arm around his neck as she pulled him into a heated kiss that made his heart race. "Be careful," she whispered._

 _Mickey nodded, a nervous but determined look on his face rode past the gate and made his way around to the Eastern wall, where he found a deep, dark cave leading underneath the castle, barred off by large iron gate next to a burning torch._

 _Mickey felt a knot form in his stomach as he got off his horse. Whenever he let the Guardian loose, things never went according to plan. But if this was his best chance to keep Cheryl safe, he was more than willing to take the risk._

 _With a pounding heart, the blue-eyed twin raised the gate and grabbed the torch from the wall, using it to light a pit of oil hanging on the wall, causing a creature in the dark to stir as thunder roared overhead._

 _After nervous chill ran down his spine, Mickey turned around as a woman in a tattered black stood before him, a series of reddish black clouds surrounding her. Penelope Blossom. "Where is she? Where is the princess?"_

 _Clenching his jaw, Mickey reached across his waist and drew his sword, a three-foot long blade of solid steel, pointing the edge of the blade directly at Penelope's ethroat. "I am only going to say this once, witch: Leave now. And never come back."_

 _Penelope chuckled. "Do you really think you can beat me?"_

 _"Maybe not," Mickey admitted "but he can."_

 _At that moment, the creature from the cave came into view: A thousand pound, reddish brown grizzly bear, standing eye to eye with Mickey on all fours. The bear stood up on his hinds legs, now nearly ten foot high, and it roared._

 _"How cute," Penelope patronized "You brought your pet to play. So did I."_

 _With the have of her hand, Penelope willed the clouds surrounding her to dive into the river, the water starting to swirl and bubble as a massive creature rose to the surface: a reptilian-like monster with greyish green scales, a long neck and razor sharp teeth, its upper body standing nearly as high as the castle. The Loch Ness Monster. The fabled beast let out a blood-curdling screech as it opened it jaw, lunging forward as it prepared to devour the castle in one bite._

* * *

Mickey's heart stopped as he woke up from his nightmare in the middle of the night, his lungs gasping for air as his chest was covered in a cold sweat. Taking in a deep breath, the blue-eyed glanced over at Cheryl's sleeping form, a beautifully serene expression on her face. As he quietly watched her sleep, Mickey couldn't help but wonder, how long? How long could he protect Cheryl like this? How long until this was no longer enough?

Not wanting to think the consequences that would arise if he failed, Mickey laid back on the bed and pulled Cheryl closer to him, letting the gentle sound of her beating heart lull him back to sleep. Mickey didn't have all the answers, but he would do whatever it took to protect Cheryl. Even if he had put the witch Penelope Blossom down to do it.

* * *

Mickey woke up late the following morning, the light of the morning sun shining from the window coaxing him to open his eyes. The blue-eyed twin frowned slightly as he felt an unfamiliar weight pressed against him, looking down to see a beautiful girl using his chest as a pillow. Cheryl Rose Blossom. She was sill here. Mickey was shocked by last night, he almost thought it was a dream. But it was real. Both the good and the bad. A fact made all the more real by Cheryl's face.

The bruise on her cheek was still there. A faint scar lingered under her right eyebrow. And a fading yellow bruise lingered around her throat. Part of Mickey wanted nothing more than to hold like this forever. And the other part, the warrior with the strength of a bear, wanted nothing more than to hunt Penelope down and go to war.

Cheryl sighed deeply as she began to open her eyes, her dark brown orbs still cloudy from sleep as she smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," Mickey repeated, gently running a hand through her hair "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Really good," Cheryl repeated, running her fingers across his chest "I think that was the best sleep I've had in a long time." The leader of the Rivervixens started to blush as Mickey looked at her as if she was glowing. "What?"

"Nothing. I've just never seen you without your makeup," he realized.

"Am I hideous?"

Mickey smiled as he place a hand under Cheryl's chin, pulling her in close as he gave her a soft, intimate kiss. "You are still the most beautiful girl I have ever seen," he whispered "Are you hungry? I can make us breakfast."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Eggs and pancakes. Do vegetarians eat eggs?" Mickey asked.

"Some do. I personally don't believe in the senseless slaughtering of unborn baby chics," Cheryl commented "but pancakes sound nice."

"Pancakes it is. Let me just make sure the coast is clear." Mickey let out a reluctant huff as he climbed out of bed, barefoot in nothing more than a tank top and jeans, dropping down the attic ladder and making his way down as when he heard a voice that made him jump.

"Mick?" Archie yawned as he rubbed the back of his head, the brown-eyed wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts as he stepped out his room. "Did you spend the night in the attic?"

"Uh, yeah," Mickey answered nervously "Is dad up?"

"Yeah. He left for work about an hour ago."

"Good. Cheryl," Mickey called up the attic ladder "You can come down, Baby Doll. The coast is clear."

Archie's eyes nearly fell out his head. "Cheryl spent the night?"

"Promise me you won't tell dad," Mickey begged "please."

"Yeah. Of course," Archie assured him. "But you owe me."

"I know. How about I start paying you back with breakfast?" Mickey offered "I promised Cheryl some of Grandma Shirley's Scottish pancakes."

"Deal."

"Just do me favor. Put a shirt on first?" Mickey requested "I don't want my girlfriend to know you've got better abs than me."

Archie chuckled as his brother headed downstairs. "Maybe if you went running with me every once in while, you'd have better abs."

"I can still bench more than you," Mickey shot back. The blue-eyed twin paused as he made his way into the living room, a scowl attempting to claw its way across his face as he spotted Jughead Jones sleeping on the couch. He'd almost forgotten at the son of a Southside Serpent was crashing on their couch. Not wanting to make things any worse than they already were, Mickey walked over and swatted the young novelist's arm. "Hey. I'm making breakfast, you hungry?"

"Always," The Southside native said with a yawn.

"Good. You're on coffee duty," Mickey told him "By the way, Cheryl's here."

Jughead groaned. "It is too early to deal with that diva. Look Mickey," the young novelist nervously pressed his lips together as he got up from the couch, wearing a baggy grey t-shirt and sweatpants, a nervous and apologetic look on his face as he follow the blue-eyed twin into the kitchen "I never got the chance to tell you sorry I am. For not telling you the truth about my dad. Him being a Serpent, it's not really something I'm proud."

"You should've told us, J," Mickey told him in a less than forgiving tone "But hitting you was not the was to deal with it. How's the jaw?"

"A little sore, but I'll manage. Hey, how did you sneak Cheryl in the house in the first place?" Jughead wondered.

"I gave her my key and told her to wait in the attic while me and dad dropped off Polly's baby shower gift."

"The attic?" Jughead smirked as he glanced upstairs, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Mickey scowled. "Jughead Jones, I am only going to say this once: You try to sleep with Betty Cooper in my attic, I was serve you up to Mrs. Cooper on a plate."

"Nice to see you two getting talking it out," Archie commented, sliding on a white t-shirt as he walked into the kitchen "You're girlfriend's hogging the bathroom. Reminds of when Mom was here."

"Hello boys."

The young men looked up as Cheryl made her presence known, wearing nothing more than Mickey's denim shirt, her scares and bruised expertly hidden with makeup, a warm and playful smile on her face.

"Hey," Mickey smiled as he slipped an arm around her waist, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek "Not that I'm complaining, but weren't you wearing pants earlier?"

"I figured this was help sell the story that I spent the night for sex," she explained "and not to get away from my abusive mother. Ugh," Cheryl scrunched up her face in disgust. "Who invited Serpent boy for breakfast?"

"Cheryl." Archie gave her a protective glare.

"I have not, nor have I ever been a Southside Serpent," Jughead disputed "and to help clear the air, I am willing to answer any and all Serpent-related for the following hour."

Cheryl went straight to the point. "Did your father kill my brother?"

"Cheryl," Archie repeated.

"No. He did not kill Jason," Jughead answered, making a pot of coffee "Betty and I talked to him after the shower. Yes, Jason was running drugs for the Serpents, but he never showed up to pick up the product."

"Are you sure it wasn't another Serpent?" Cheryl questioned "someone who knew he wanted to back out of the deal?"

"Doubtful. If any of the Serpents had a role to play in Jason Blossom's death, my dad would know about it."

"What, is he some kind of big shot?" Archie asked, picking at a bowl of fruit.

"Sort of," Jughead's stomach slowly twisted in knots "My dad has nickname. The King of the Serpents."

"What?" Archie's eyes widened in disbelief "Your dad is the leader of the Southside Serpents?"

"Can we change the subject, please?" Mickey asked, gathering food from the fridge "This my first breakfast with my girlfriend and I'd rather not talk about death and gang violence over Grandma pancakes. Which I don't know how to make without using eggs."

"Vegetable oil, water and baking powder," Cheryl listed off "You won't even taste the difference."

"Or you could just use eggs," Jughead suggested, grabbing carton from the fridge.

"Tell me Jughead," Cheryl asked with a glare "do you believe in abortion?"

The Southside native frowned as a morbid chill run down his spine "Not really."

"Then how can you condone the senseless slaughter of sweet, innocent baby chics?"

Jughead chuckled. "See Cheryl, that's the difference between you and me. You look at an egg and see an unborn chick. Me, all I see is a delicious source of protein." As if to prove a point, Jughead took an egg and cracked on the edge of a bowl. "Preferably scrambled."

Cheryl gagged as her eyes swelled with tears. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Jughead," Mickey jabbed a spatula in the dark-haired boy's direction. "I punched you once. Don't make me do it again." The blue-eyed twin glanced at the counter as his phone went off, the name on his caller ID making his face turn white. "It's my dad. I have to take this," he said, excusing himself as he walked upstairs.

"Speaking of calls, you might want to talk to Betty, Jug," Archie suggested "Her mom kicked Mr. Cooper out last night. She seemed pretty upset."

Jughead frowned as he handed his best friend a fresh cup of coffee. "Betty called you and not me?"

Archie straightened up as he heard the judgmental tone in his friend's voice "She did call you, Jug. But she couldn't reach because you shut your phone off."

"How I was supposed to know her parents were going to split up?"

"Dude, no one's blaming you," Archie assured him "but you get mad at me for helping Betty when you decided to unplug."

"Why didn't you tell me this last night?" Jughead questioned.

"Because you didn't come back until like, three in the morning," Archie defended "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing." Jughead clenched his jaw as there was knock at the door "I'll get it."

Archie sighed. He wasn't trying to cause problems between Jughead and Betty. He was just trying to be there for a friend.

At that moment, Mickey came walking back into the kitchen, a dazed look on his face. "Dad hired the Serpents to work the SoDale project."

"What?"

Mickey nodded. "FP got some of his guys together, convinced to pitch in at the site."

"That's great," Archie said with a grin "Dad can keep the business going."

"Yeah." Mickey clenched his jaw as he poured himself a cup of coffee "Great."

"Teddy," Cheryl frowned at the upset tone in his voice "What's wrong?"

Mickey stayed silent he took a long sip from his mug. "Do you know when I found out that Hermione Lodge was going to start working at Andrews construction? At Jason's funeral," he answered "five minutes after he hired her. And now he hires a bunch of gang-bangers to work the biggest job we've had in years. When I started working at Andrews Construction, I thought I was gong to be Dad's partner," Mickey vented "but now, I just feel like a grunt."

Cheryl placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure your father appreciates all the hard you've been doing. At least he wants you to a part of the family business."

Archie frowned. "Your dad never wanted you to work for him?"

Cheryl shook her head. "That was always Jason's job."

At that moment, Jughead came walking back into the kitchen with Betty, the blonde-haired girl wearing a soft pink hoodie, light wash jeans, and matching pink sneakers, her face red and stained with tears. Betty's pale green eyes filled with rage at the sight of Cheryl Blossom, lunging at her furiously as she lunged at the scarlet-haired cheerleader, causing Mickey and Jughead to pull them apart while Archie moved between them.

"Are you happy now!?" Betty shouted through a river of tears "You got what you wanted. And now my family is falling apart!"

"Betty," Archie placed both hands on his best friend's shoulders as he looked her in the eye "What is going on?"

Betty's answer made Mickey sick to his stomach. "Polly moved into Thornhill."


	9. Chapter 9: Le Grande Illusion

_Mickey sat behind the wheel of his car in the middle of a clear summer afternoon, a dark green 1967 Ford Thunderbird convertible with tan leather seats, with Jason and Polly in the back and Cheryl by his side, the sounds of classic rock playing from radio as they raced down the open highway. They had just graduated from Riverdale High, heading off to start their new lives in the big city._

 _Cheryl grinned mischievously as she began to nibble on her boyfriend's ear, the scarlet bombshell wearing a white tank top, bright red shorts, black heels and matching sunglasses._

 _Mickey ran hand through her hair as his heart started race, the blue-eyed twin wearing his leather jacket, a light grey t-shirt, dark jeans and white sneakers. He'd kiss her back, but he had focus on the road._

 _In the back seat, Polly and Jason acted if they were in a motel, kissing passionately as their hands roamed each other's bodies, the male Blossom twin wearing a red Oxford shirt tucked into a pair of khakis and red sneakers, lost in a state of endless ecstasy as he made out with Polly, the oldest Cooper sister wearing a short sleeved white blouse and a lavender 50s-style poodle skirt, her matching cardigan sweater lying on the floor of the car as her fiancé climbed on top of her._

 _Mickey rolled his eyes as he glanced at them through the rear view mirror. Those two weren't even married yet, and they were turning his car into their honeymoon suite._

 _Before he could tell them to settle down, Mickey heard the sound of a car horn as a steel blue '67 Pontiac Firebird came into view on his left side, his brother sitting behind the wheel, dressed in his varsity jacket, a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, while Jughead, Betty and Veronica filled the other white leather seats. As soon as they pulled up beside him, Mickey noticed something strange going on in Archie's car. Betty and Veronica kept moving. One minute, New York was sitting next to, wearing a little black dress with a low v-neckline, the next she was in the back with in Jughead, the prince of the Southside Serpents wearing a black leather jacket along with a black t-shirt and jeans, with Betty taking her spot in the front, the youngest Cooper sister wearing a powder blue version of her sister's outfit. Over and over this happened, and Mickey seemed to be the only one who noticed._

 _Before Mickey could even ask what was going on, a familiar black Camaro came pulling up on his right, with Reggie Mantle, wearing a dark blue polo shirt and black jeans and sneakers behind the wheel with Josie by his side while Valerie and Melody in the back seat, the Pussycats each wearing a black t-shirt and leopard print leggings, their trademark costume ears on their heads. One look at his brother and his best friend, and Mickey knew what was going on. They wanted to race._

 _After getting an approving nod from Cheryl, Mickey grinned excitedly and stepped on the gas, causing his car to speed up as he raced down the road, with Archie and Reggie neck and neck for every mile. Mickey's heart started pounding as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his body buzzing with adrenaline, his ears full of the cheers of his passengers and the roar of the engine, the rushing wind playfully whipping at his face._

 _Mickey's eyes lit up as he spotted a fork in the road up ahead, left lane leading to New York and the right to Chicago. The blue-eyed twin slammed the gas pedal to the floor, pulling past Archie and Reggie as he merged onto the right lane, earning a triumphant cheer from Cheryl, Jason and Polly._

 _Mickey and the others waved to Archie and his friends as they drove off on the road to New York, promising to call as soon as they got settled._

 _As he watched his brother's car fade from view, Mickey reluctantly refocused his gaze on the road ahead, his eyes widening in shock as he spotted a woman standing in the middle of the road._

 _Mickey slammed on the brakes as hard as he could, causing Cheryl and Polly to scream as the tires screeched and the car began to skid._

 _He couldn't remember when the car flipped over, just a moment of black and the sound of crunching metal before coming to face down on the road, his legs pinned down under the mangled front end of his beloved Thunderbird. His head was pounding like a jackhammer but other than that, he seemed okay. Mickey felt his stomach twisted up in knots as he spotted Jason lying less than a yard away from him, a cold and distant look in his eye as a stream of blood trickled from his mouth. Dear God, he was dead._

 _Mickey felt a glimmer of hope as he heard a car in the distance. It was Reggie. It had to be. As he attempted to pry his legs from the wreck, Mickey spotted Cheryl and Polly being strangled by a redheaded in a tattered black dress, a cold, dark look in her eyes. Penelope Blossom. Mickey's blood turned to ice as he desperately tried to get his legs out from under the car, watching Cheryl and Polly legs dangling helplessly in the air, their eyes begging Mickey to help them, right before Penelope snapped their necks._

* * *

Mickey sat up straight in his bed as his nightmare came to a terrifying end, his heart pounding and his face covered in a cold sweat, letting out a weary sigh as he realized it was just a dream. He had barely slept since Cheryl had spent the night, his dreams plagued with images of a demonic Penelope attacking Cheryl. Or Polly. Or both.

"Another bad dream?" Archie asked. The brown-eyed twin stood in the middle of the room in nothing more than a pair of jeans, getting ready for school while Mickey slept, a deeply concerned look on his face. "Want to talk about it?"

Mickey nervously played with the bronze pendant around his neck. "I don't remember what it was about. Just that it was pretty bad."

That was a lie. Archie could tell by the way his brother wouldn't look him in the eye. Whatever the cause of Mickey's nightmares, he was keeping it a secret. He wasn't the only one. Archie and Fred still hadn't told Mickey about Clifford Blossom's attack on Andrews Construction. They tried, on multiple occasions, but ever since the baby shower, Mickey and Cheryl had practically been joined at the hip.

* * *

Cheryl had been learning about the Cold War in history class. How the entire country lived in fear of an attack from lingering enemy. She honestly knew how that felt now. Ever since Polly had moved into Thornhill, Penelope had been unusually pleasant. But Cheryl knew it wouldn't last. One wrong move, and she would once again be her mother's punching bag. Only now, she had a nuclear deterrent of her own. Mickey.

He stayed by her side constantly. Hers and Polly's. Milkshakes at Pop's, shopping trips to the maternity store, movie nights at his place. He did everything he could to keep them away from Penelope for as long as possible. But Cheryl could see how much it hurt him every time they had to go home.

The scarlet-haired bombshell walked up the stairs to the Andrews family home, wearing a white faux fur jacket over a bright red sweater, along with a plaid skirt and heels, trudging through the poorly shoveled sidewalk. It had snowed late last night, indicating an early winter for Riverdale. Perfect for snuggling by the fire with her boyfriend. Cheryl waited patiently after knocking on the door, the brown-eyed twin politely letting her in. "Is my Teddy Bear ready to go?"

"He didn't get much sleep last night. But he should be down in a minute. You can wait down here if you-,"

"I'll go see what's keeping him." Cheryl pushed past Archie and made her way upstairs to the Andrews brothers' bedroom. It was a small space, split down the middle between the twins. Archie's things were on the right, the guitar sitting by the bed making clear, his clothes and books scattered across the floor. Mickey's side was cleaner, but still a little messy, as any male teenager's would be, a baseball bat sitting by the edge of his bed. A full bookshelf hung on the left wall beside Mickey's bed, containing a series of books on a range of topics: one on the history of baseball, one on architecture, a self-help guide on anger management, an old broken-in copy of _The Legends of King Arthur,_ a couple of Thor comic books, and the entire _Lord of Rings_ trilogy. The blue-eyed still getting dressed, wearing only a white tank top and dark jeans, his broad shoulders causing Cheryl to bite on her bottom lip. "If you're tying to seduce me, you're off to the good start."

"Ha, ha." Mickey smirked at the teasing look on his girlfriend's face "I had to dig my sweaters of the closet. Wanted to look nice for my girlfriend."

"Luck girl."

"I'm the lucky one." Mickey's heart skipped a beat she gave a soft, lingering kiss "So, which one would you recommend?"

"Hmm." Cheryl ran her hands over the various sweaters on Mickey's bed, stopping a dark green turtleneck "This one. It's the softest. Makes you cuddly."

"Thought I already was," Mickey teased as he pulled the sweater over his head "Being your Teddy Bear and all."

Cheryl giggled as Mickey pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss, her smile wavering as she noticed the dark circles around his eyes. "You look tired. Are you alright?"

Mickey forced a smile as her remembered the deafening snap of Penelope breaking Cheryl's neck. "Just bad dreams."

* * *

Veronica Lodge walked alone through the halls of Riverdale High, making her way through the bustling classmates who were running late due to the snow. Clearly, they knew nothing about East Coast winters. As she began the final stretch to history class, she stopped when she heard the familiar sound of a Latin guitar.

It reminded her of her visits to see her _abuelita_ when she lived in Spanish Harlem, the same genre of music playing from her grandmother's record player while she told her the history of their family. Veronica was intrigued. Riverdale wasn't exactly known for its thriving Hispanic community. So, who was playing that music? Curious, the New York native followed her ears to the music room, the door cracked ever so slightly as she glanced through the window, where she saw a sight that made her heart stop.

Archie Andrews sat alone in the otherwise empty classroom, surrounded by a series of music books and loose sheets, his face set in an expression of intense yet serene focus as his fingers fluttered across the strings of his guitar, creating a playful, intimate tune. Veronica would never admit it, but Archie always incredible sexy when he played.

The brown-eyed twin cringed as his fingers slipped during the chord change, resulting in series of clashing notes, that forced him to put down his guitar and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Don't stop."

The young songwriter jumped as Veronica made her presence known as she walked in, shuffling his sheet music to hide the one with her name on it. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know I should hire you for the next Lodge family reunion. So, what got you interested in Latin music?"

"You did." Archie felt his heart skip a beat as Veronica sat down next to him on the bench, the tips of her fingers brushing against his hand. "Hearing those stories about your trip to Spain, how the cities seemed sing with music, it made me want to look into it for myself."

Veronica smiled, touched by the fact that she had inspired him to study her culture. The New York native lowered her head as her cheeks started to redden, noticing the books that Archie had gathered, studying forms of music, from blues to African drums. "Studying the music of the world?"

Archie shrugged. "I figured it would help me figure out the kind of music I want to make."

Veronica nodded, impressed by his hard work ethic, her eyes wandering across the loose sheets of music notes, when she noticed the title on one of the sheets: Grandpa Artie. "You wrote your Grandfather a song?"

"You sort of." Archie's cheeks quickly turned warm "I found this book on Celtic music in the library and it made me think of him."

"Can I hear it?"

Archie paused nervously as he met Veronica's gaze, her dark brown eyes looking back at his. He had never been good at opening up about his grandfather, but Veronica, she made him want to try. "It's still a work in progress. I don't have any lyrics yet," he warned, picking up his guitar as he began to play.

Celtic music was a lot different that Latin music. It was lighter. Softer. Designed for lyrics. Regardless of the song, Latin music always made Veronica feel like dancing. Even the song Archie had just been playing made her think of people dancing: a slow, yet intimate tango shared between two old lovers, whose passion for one another was still as strong and vibrant as the day they met. But this song made her want to sit back and listen to the story it told. The story of the life of Artie Andrews, seen trough the eyes of Archie. She could see Artie taking his grandsons to the park, reading them bedtime stories about King Arthur and the knights of the round table, chasing them around the backyard.

Archie stopped playing suddenly as his grandfather's face flashed across his mind, blinking rapidly as his eyes swelled with tears, his hands trembling as he struggled to hold his guitar.

Veronica quickly reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently as he took a series of shallow breaths. "It's okay. It's okay, Archiekins."

But it wasn't. Archie felt as if someone had ripped the stitches out of his heart. "I miss him."

"I know." Veronica placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing circles across his back "I know you do."

"It's November, Ronnie. Grandpa died in November." Archie squeezed his eyes shut as he fought back the tears "We didn't even get to say goodbye." After a deep sigh, the young songwriter dried his eyes and sniffled "We should, uh, we should probably get to class."

"Right." After helping him gather up all of his books and papers, Veronica followed back into the halls, the brown-eyed twin politely holding the door open for her. "By the way, what was that first song about? The one with the Latin guitar rift?"

Archie's cheeks burned like coals. "I don't know yet."

* * *

"Did you know that today is the start of Maple season?"

Mickey sat with Cheryl in the Student Lounge before class, his face nestled the crook of her neck as he sipped on his much-needed coffee. "No, I didn't."

"Well, it is. The annual Blossom tree taping ceremony is one of my family's oldest and most cherished traditions. Extremely VIP," Cheryl emphasized "Want to be my date?"

Mickey was surprised. "Seriously?"

Cheryl nodded. "The tree tapping ceremony is a tradition that Jason and I have shared since we were old enough to toddle. It was our very special thing," she said, in a sad voice "Maybe if you were there to help me get through it-,"

"Rosie." Mickey reached over and took her hand. "When's the ceremony?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," she answered with a grin "Promise you'll wear red?"

"Anything for my _maighdeann-mhara_."

Cheryl's heart fluttered as Mickey called her the Scottish word for mermaid, his newest nickname for her. "Come here." The leader of the Rivervixens smiled as she wrapped her arm around the young baseball player's neck, pulling him into a soft, intimate kiss. Cheryl gently ran her fingers through his hair as she studied Mickey's face, taking note of his tired blue eyes. "Are you okay? Archie says you haven't been sleeping."

Mickey stayed silent for a moment, the memories of his most recent nightmare lingering in his mind.

"Is this about your grandfather?"

Mickey felt a bolt of pain strike in his heart as he gripped his bronze necklace. He had barely thought about Grandpa Artie all week. He felt terrible for it.

"I know November is when he died," Cheryl told him with a gentle look "Polly said that might be why you've been clingy."

Mickey frowned. "I have not been clingy."

"Teddy, you've had us over at your house almost every night," Cheryl reminded.

"Maybe I just like spending time with my girls."

Cheryl let out a breathy laugh as he placed a trail of kisses across her neck. "I'm serious. Do you need to talk about your grandfather?" she repeated "Or is this about what I told you about my mother?"

The look on his face was all the answer Cheryl needed.

"Teddy, I told you. You don't have to worry. My mother wouldn't dare hurt me while Polly's living with us."

"And I told you that I'm not going to stop worrying until I found a way for you and Polly to take care of Nana Rose." He'd been on the phone with Mary for every day, trying to find a way to help his girlfriend and his best friend without giving his mother any names.

"My trust fund is frozen until I'm eighteen. After that, I can take care of myself and Nana," Cheryl sighed as the warning bell rang, forcing her pull away from Mickey as she headed to class. "I'll see you at lunch."

The blue-eyed twin sighed as he got up from his seat, taking a final sip from his coffee before throwing out the empty cup. What was he going to do about Cheryl? He couldn't just wait until Cheryl turned eighteen, too many things could wrong. Not mention he'd probably die of exhaustion by then. And Mary was burning the candle at both ends working on Hiram Lodge's case, which is was about to go to trial. With little options, Mickey tracked down the only other person who knew about Penelope's abusive nature. Josie McCoy.

He found talking with Reggie in the halls, the daughter of the Mayor dressed in a fuzzy black sweater, leopard print leggings and black leather boots, a pair of leopard patterned earmuffs handing around her neck. If he didn't know any better, he'd say they were flirting.

"Hey Reg," The blue-eyed twin gave his best friend a pleading look. "You think I could borrow Josie for a minute?"

Reggie looked as if he'd been tripped while making a touchdown run. "Dude."

"It's okay Reggie. I'll see you after class, okay?" Josie's face turned hot as Reggie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, a teasing smile spreading across Mickey's face. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything. So, did you get the emails I sent?"

"I did," Josie answered "And it won't work. Cheryl won't put Nana Rose in a home."

"It would only be for a few months," Mickey justified "just until the emancipation papers went through."

"She won't do it, Mickey. The only nursing home in town is on the west side of town, and my mom's shutting it down in a month."

"You've got to be kidding me." Mickey was going crazy "What kind of mayor every government aid service in town fall apart?"

"One that's the mayor of a town that's going broke," Josie snapped "Ever since the Blossoms shut down their maple factory two years ago, Riverdale has been in a major recession. Jobs have dried up, families are leaving town," she listed off "that's why she's putting in so much work into the town's 75th anniversary. She thinks that if she stirs up enough town pride, people will stick around long enough for the SoDale project to create some jobs."

"Alright. I'm sorry." Mickey blinked slowly as he stiffened a yawn, fighting off his growing fatigue "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"This. Let Cheryl go back into that house knowing what Penelope puts her through. I've only known about this a week and I can barely."

"I do what I can. I patch her up when she's hurt, I let her know it's not her fault," Josie listed off "and I pray to God everyday that she makes it to school in one piece tomorrow."

* * *

Archie walked with Veronica into the Student Lounge later that day, the two of them standing over one of their classmates as she sat on the sofa.

"Hi Ethel," Veronica greeted with a smile. "I loved your poem in English class today. I could tell that come from someplace dark. But I have to ask, is everything alright?"

Ethel Muggs lowered her head shyly. "Things aren't really good at home. My parents won't tell me what's going on, but they've been fighting. A lot. It's like…I know something bad is gong to happen, but there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Like watching a slow-moving car crash," Veronica described in a tiny voice "I know the feeling. It sounds to me like you could use some cheering up. Why don't you come over to my place after school? We can get lunch and massages," she added with a smile. After a moment of silence, Veronica glanced at the varsity football and the captain of the wrestling team and got an idea "Kevin and Archie will be there."

"Uh, I actually have to help my Dad out at the SoDale project after school today," the brown-eyed twin informed "Sorry." As the warning bell rang, Archie hefted his bag over his shoulder and made his way through the halls with his friends.

After a moment of silence Kevin asked. "So, what was that about?"

"Yeah, I got to agree with Kevin. Ronnie, I think it's great that you want to make Ethel feel better," Archie acknowledged "But, it's not like you two are that close."

"Ethel's poem was a cry for help if I ever heard one," Veronica justified "one that I swore never to ignore again."

"I sense backstory," Kevin commented "do we need to sit down?"

The raven-haired princess nervously played with her fingernails. "Back in New York, my best friend Katie and I tormented this girl named Paige everyday. We even made her drink gutter water."

Ew."

Archie stared at Veronica for a moment, the horrendous act completely clashing with the person he knew her to be. "Why would you do that?"

"Because she was an outcast. Because we could," she listed off "Because we were grade-A brutal mean girls who didn't care who we hurt. Anyway, by December it was too much for her-,"

"Oh my God," Kevin let out a horrified gasp "Did you drive her to commit suicide?"

"Kevin." Archie gave his friend a protective glare.

"No. But she did change schools. And she had to go to therapy. So if there is any way that I can make Ethel Muggs feel better, even for just one afternoon, I'm going to do it."

"Veronica Lodge swooping into the save the day." Archie chuckled "Now who's playing superhero?"

Veronica blushed as he stared at her, his dark brown orbs sparkling with the same light from the night at the club. "You're the one who called me Wonder Woman."

"Ronnie?" Archie called out to the brunette cheerleader as she headed to class "Whoever you were back in New York, that's not who you are now."

* * *

 _Mickey Andrews rode on the back of a horse in the middle of winter, the jet-black stallion marching its way across a snow-covered road, trotting towards a tall, dark, gothic castle over looking a mighty river, coursing with icy, foaming waves._

 _The blue-eyed twin was dressed in a full suit of armor, a series of Celtic knots etched into the edges of every steel plate, the pelt of a massive grizzly bear draped over his head and shoulders like a barbaric cloak, a massive sword strapped to his back. Mickey hopped off his horse as stopped in front of the castle door, his heart pounding against his chest as he balled his hands into fists. He fought long and hard to get here, and he was not going to turn back now. With a deep breath, Mickey pushed over the large wooden doors and walked inside._

 _It was the dark, the great hall lit by only a handful of candles in the chandeliers high above. As Mickey made his way into the dining, the long-forgotten furniture covered in deep cobwebs, he spotted a staircase leading to a tower. That seemed like a good place to hide a princess. After reaching the tower, Mickey opened the door to a small, cramped bedroom, coming face to face with a captive Polly Cooper._

" _Mickey." The blonde-haired girl wore a long-sleeved, full-length, lavender gown, a ring of daisies braided into her long golden locks. Polly gasped in relief at the sight of her best friend, throwing her arms around him as he hugged her back, her voice barely a whisper. "You came."_

" _I promised you I would." Mickey pulled out ever so slightly "Where's Cheryl?"_

" _Downstairs. In the dungeon. Mickey," Polly grabbed his arm as he moved towards the door. "She's still down there. If you try to take us out the castle-,"_

" _Don't worry. She won't stop us. Not while I have this." Mickey reached behind his back and drew his sword, a four-foot long weapon of solid steel, a series of Celtic runes etched into the middle of the blade._

 _Polly stared at the sword curiously as Mickey held it in his hands, a strange electric tension crackling in the air. "Where did you get this?"_

" _A griffin led me to it." he answered "I found it trapped within a stone on the Northern mountains. The villages said I was the first to lift it. Now, let's find Cheryl." As Mickey led Polly down into the stairs, they began to hear a series of distant, echoing whispers._

 _Polly paled. "She knows you're here."_

" _Don't worry." Mickey reached behind him and gave Polly's hand a gentle squeeze "I won't let her hurt you. Which way's the dungeon?"_

" _This way." Polly led Mickey to a tunnel on the south end of the grand hall following it down to a runoff pool of water from the river, in a lightless cave._

" _My love?"_

 _Mickey's face lit up as the face of a woman emerged from the water: a beautiful, red-headed mermaid with a coppery gold tail. Cheryl Blossom._

 _Mickey scrambled over to the edge of the water, wrapping an arm Cheryl's neck and giving her passionate kiss._

 _Cheryl's heart raced Mickey pulled away ever so slightly, resting her forehead against his as she gasped for breath. "I knew you'd come."_

" _I told you I would." Mickey reached under his armor and removed a hidden necklace hanging from his throat: a dazzling emerald on a simple gold chain. The blue-eyed twin took the necklace and latched it around Cheryl's neck, a dazzling green light surrounding her. Her tail transformed into legs, and as the glow of the emerald faded away, a sleeveless green gown emerged covering her body. Mickey took Cheryl's hands as he pulled her from the water, the scarlet-haired princess stumbling slightly as she stepped on solid ground._

 _Cheryl let out a soft laugh at the deeply concerned loon on Mickey's face. "It always take me a minute to get used to having legs."_

" _You'll have adjust quick. We to get out her before-," Mickey stopped talking as the whispers became louder, finally able to understand their words._

" _Precious."_

 _Mickey felt a chill run down his spine. "What is that?"_

 _Cheryl turned as pale as a ghost. "They're coming."_

" _What's coming?" Mickey drew his sword as something crawled out of the water: a short, thin, hairless, beady-eyed man with pale skin and crooked teeth, wearing nothing more than a ragged pair of shorts, waling on all fours._

" _He comes to take the precious," he said in a breathy, reptilian voice "He frees the yellow precious from her tower and the red precious from her pond. Gollum must stop him. Stop for Mistress."_

" _You serve the witch," Mickey's stern face faded into a mocking smirk "Is a starving goblin all that she can muster to stop."_

" _Gollum likes this one," the skinny creature said with a crackling laugh "He makes us laugh. He thinks he can stop."_

" _Us?" Mickey felt his forehead bead with sweat as more grey-skinned creatures emerged from the pool, each one baring their teeth like a pack of piranha._

" _Gollum is many," the creature in the front stated "Gollum is legion. Precious must stay with Gollum and Mistress. Forever and ever."_

" _Get behind me." Mickey stood bravely in front Cheryl and Polly as the creatures approached them, tightening his grip on his sword. "You're right. These princesses are precious. And they are leaving with me. You can either let us go and leave," he offered "or you can die trying to stop us."_

" _Gollum serves Mistress. Gollum loves Mistress. And precious must stay here!"_

 _CRACK!_

 _Mickey swung his sword in a massive arc as the lead Gollum leapt out of water, barring its teeth as it lunged at his throat, only to disintegrate in a cloud of dust as the blade cut through the creature's neck, the sound of thunder echoing through the cave. Mickey smiled as the Gollums gave him a shocked and confused expression. "I suppose I should've mentioned that this is no ordinary sword."_

 _As if to prove a point, the blue-eyed twin gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, the blade bursting to life as bolts of lightning arced up and down the blade. Mickey marched into the water as he hefted his sword over his head, the small army of goblins ran towards him. They didn't stand a chance. One by one, Mickey cut through the Gollums, turning them to dust with every enchanted bolt of lighting that struck with every swing. The blue-eyed twin grunted as one of the Gollums jumped on his back, biting and clawing at his armor as it tried to reach his flesh. Mickey grabbed the Gollum by the neck and ripped it off his back, slamming it to the ground before driving his sword through its stomach. The last two creatures slammed into Mickey's side, knocking him into the shallow end of the water, knocking his sword into the middle of the pool. Mickey raised his arm as the Gollums snapped as his head, letting one them bite on the steel gauntlet on his arm while he kicked the other one away. Mickey outstretched towards where the sword had fallen, the magical weapon rising into the air and racing into his hand. Mickey gripped the sword with both hands and drove the blade into the pond, a bolt of lightning coursing through the water and turning the creatures to dust._

 _Mickey let out a breath as pulled his weapon from the water, admiring the blade as he walked to the shore. "I like this sword. Let's get out of here before-," Mickey felt a chill run down his spine as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye: a strange black and red fog rolling in from the river._

 _Cheryl's body began tremble. "Mother."_

 _Mickey's heart stared racing. His body went rigid. A cold sweat emerged on his forehead. He was afraid, but more than that, he was furious. "Witch! Show yourself!"_

" _Very well," a bodiless voice answered. The fog began to amass at the center of the pond, solidifying into a red-headed woman in a tattered black dress. Penelope Blossom. "I have been waiting for you, little knight."_

 _Mickey gripped his sword with both hands, the blade electrifying with enchanted lightning. "I have come a long way to kill you witch. And today, I take your head to mount it on my wall."_

" _We'll see about that." Penelope waved her hand over the once still water, causing a massive wave to rise and come crashing towards, Mickey, Polly and Cheryl._

 _Mickey raised his sword high above his head, the lightning crackling off the blade intensifying as he brought it straight down as wave met the water, a massive bolt of lightning erupting from the sword, turning it into steam. Before Penelope could even cast another spell, Mickey whipped his head around and shouted at Polly and Cheryl. "Run!"_

 _As soon as the princesses started racing up the stairs, Mickey took his sword and slammed it into the wall, the force of the bolt of lightning that followed causing the entire cave to shake and tremble as a massive crack appeared in the wall._

 _Jagged spikes of stone began to fall from the ceiling as the cave began to implode, forcing Mickey to race back up the stairs as soon Penelope disappeared behind a wall of falling rocks, making it back to the great hall just as the stairs fell apart under his feet._

 _Lying on the floor, Mickey gasped for breath as he looked up at Polly and Cheryl, the two princesses staring at him in awe. "That won't hold her for long."_

 _At that moment, another sound rang out through the empty castle: the cries of a helpless infant._

 _Polly's face turned stark white. "My baby!"_

" _Polly, wait!" Mickey and Cheryl took off after the purple-clad princess as she ran into the east end of the castle, the sight of a small, beautifully decorated nursey, lit by a single candle. Polly quickly the child into her arms, rocking her infant back and forth as she whispered. "Mamma's here. Mama's here, my love."_

" _Is the baby harmed?" Mickey asked, watching the doorway for any more of those Gollum creatures._

" _I don't think so."_

" _Good. Now let's get out of her before-,"_

 _BOOM!_

 _Mickey jumped back as the west wall exploded in a burst of stone and water, revealing a massive reptilian creature made of blueish-green scales, cold black eyes and endless razor-sharp teeth. The Loch Ness Monster._

" _I was hoping I'd run into you again." Mickey locked his jaw as he gripped his sword with both hands, the blade erupting with lighting as he slowly began to rise into the air. "Listen well, monster. If you want them, you will have to go through ME!"_

* * *

"Mr. Andrews."

Mickey's eyes snapped open at the sound of his last name, his heart racing as he struggled to transition from his dream into reality. He'd fallen asleep. Perfect. Ever since learning about Cheryl's abusive mother, Mickey had been dozing off in class due to his inability to sleep at home, and now he'd taken a full-scale nap in class. Not just any class. History class. His best class. His favorite class. Miss Whitmore's class.

Miss Whitmore, a young African-American woman known for her no-nonsense attitude, glared at Mickey as he struggled to wake up. "Are we boring you?"

"Uh, no. No, Miss Whitmore." Mickey cleared his throat as he wiped the sleep from his eyes "I've been paying attention."

"Really? Then perhaps you'd like to recap today's lesson for us."

"Uh…" Mickey's mind drew a blank. He knew they were studying the Cold War, but that could mean anything from the mid-40s to the early 90s.

 _RING!_

Saved by the bell. Thank God. Mickey quickly gathered his things and headed out into the hall with Reggie.

"Dude," The varsity football captain gave his best friend an awestruck look. "You are seriously lucky."

"Yeah, no kidding. I just hope Miss Whitmore doesn't tell my dad about this."

"Micheal."

Mickey's blood turned to ice. His face turned white. And as he turned around, he came face to face with witch from his nightmares. "Mrs. Blossom." Mickey felt his throat clench up as he struggled to speak. "What, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to thank you," she answered, "for agreeing to escort my Cheryl to the tapping ceremony tomorrow."

Mickey's blood went from ice to lightning. Her Cheryl? _Her_ Cheryl? "Your daughter is very important to me, Mrs. Blossom. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her."

"I'm glad to hear that. She's been through so much these past few months."

"I know." Mickey shoved his hands into his pockets they balled into tight fists. He could kill her. Right here. Right now. No magic sword, no giant bear. All he'd have to do is grab her throat and squeeze. Just like Penelope choked Cheryl. Talk about an ironic ending.

As Penelope walked off, Mickey felt his rage start to take over his entire body, his face turning bright red as every muscle in his body began to shake and tremble.

"Dude." Reggie didn't know what was going on, but his best friend looked like he was ready to explode. "You okay?"

"I have to go." And without another word, Mickey took off.

* * *

Cheryl sat with Josie and Midge in the cafeteria, the leader of the Rivervixens giving the leader of the Pussycats a teasing smile. "You like Reggie."

"Shut up," Josie rolled her eyes as she unpacked her lunch. "I do not."

"Ooh." Midge's eyes lit up as the Mayor's daughter started blushing, the dark-haired girl wearing a grey velvet turtleneck, black jeans and matching boots. "You like him a lot."

"Oh God." Josie covered her face with her hand, trying to hide her embarrasement. For the past week, she and the leader of the Bulldogs had been constantly texting and talking getting to know each other on a level Josie never would've expected. It turned out there was more to Reggie Mantle than just his biceps. He loved astronomy, coached little league football over the summer, and enjoyed reading Confucius of all people.

"So does this mean we can expect McMantle to make an appearance at the Homecoming dance?" Cheryl inquired.

"Don't even think about making a run for the crown," Midge warned "Me and Moosie have that locked down."

"Assuming you two don't have another off-again spell. And even if you don't, my Teddy Bear and I will this year's king and-," Cheryl's voice trailed off as her boyfriend made his way into the cafeteria, his face locked in a mix of fear and fury. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you." Mickey quickly took her hand and lead Cheryl into the hall, running a nervous hand through his hair as he revealed. "Your mother came to see me."

"What?" Cheryl felt sick to her stomach. "Why?"

"To thank me. For agreeing to take you to the tapping. Rosie, I wanted kill her for what she did to you." Mickey confessed shamefully. The blue-eyed twin held a pair of fingers less than an inch apart from each other "I was _this close_ to killing her. Rosie, every time I close my eyes, I dream about her hurting you. And Polly. And the baby." With every word, Mickey became more and more emotional, his voice reduced to a quivering mess as his eyes swelled with tears. "And there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Oh, Teddy." Cheryl quickly pulled him into her arms, holding him tight as let out series of ragged breaths. Dear God, he was shaking. No one had ever cared about her so much. Not even Jason.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." Mickey squeezed his eyes shut as he buried his face in her neck, fighting back a river of tears. "I love you, Cheryl."

Cheryl's heart stopped. Her eyes grew to the size of silver dollars. Overcome with a feeling like terror, Cheryl pulled away to look Mickey in the eye. "Do you, do you really mean that?"

Mickey's heart raced. His hands shook. His mind raced at a million miles an hour. He hadn't planned on saying that. Now or anytime soon. But now that he had, he came to a stunning realization that they were true. "I do." The blue-eyed twin gently placed bot hands on the side of Cheryl's face, looking deeply into her gentle dark brown eyes. "I love you, Cheryl Rose Blossom."

Cheryl's heart grew to the size of a hot air balloon, her eyes shining like a sky full of shooting stars. "I love you too, Teddy. I really do." The scarlet bombshell grinned from ear to ear as she pulled her boyfriend into a heated kiss, full of passion, devotion and love.

Mickey's heart flew to the moon as he kissed her back with equal measure, remembering the beginning of his dream from last night, the two of them sharing a blissful morning together, starting a life together far away from the drama and dangers of Riverdale.

As they pulled away ever so slightly, resting their foreheads on one another's, the smile on Mickey's face slowly starting to waver.

Cheryl noticed it right away. "What is it?"

"When I was little, my grandfather used to say that a man protects the people he loves." Mickey felt his throat start to clench up as he realized "but I can't protect you."

"Teddy, you have to stop torturing yourself," Cheryl pleaded "I'm okay. Polly's okay. The baby's okay. We're fine."

"No, you're not. You're living with a human time bomb that could go off at any-," Mickey's voice trailed off as he spotted Moose Mason and Midge Klump out of the corner of his eye, an idea quickly forming in his mind. "I'll be right back."

Cheryl watched her boyfriend curiously as walked over and spoke to Riverdale's oldest couple, gesturing back and forth between her and Midge as he talked. After receiving a series of nods from Moose and Midge, Mickey walked back over to his girlfriend and asked. "Do you think you could end cheer practice early today?"

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

* * *

Every family in Riverdale had a legacy. The Coopers were the reporters. The Blossoms were the founders. The Andrews were warriors. But the Masons, they were contenders.

Moose's great-great uncle, Marcus Mason, born and bred in Riverdale, was one of the top ten heavyweight boxers of his generations. After one to many right hooks to the head, Marcus settled down and opened up his own gym, one that during the heyday of Riverdale, was one of the go to traning gyms up and coming boxers in the Northeast.

It was a moderate space, not that much bigger than the Riverdale High gym, with a single ring in the middle of the room, a series of dumbbells by the left wall and a dozen heavy bags on the right one.

Cheryl walked into the gym later that afternoon with her boyfriend, wearing a pair of black track pants, a red tank top, white sneakers, and her faux fur jacket. "What are we doing here?" she asked, scrunching up her face at the scent of sweat and blood in the air.

"Since I can't protect you twenty-four seven, I figured the least I could do is make sure you can protect yourself."

Cheryl gave Mickey a look. "You're going to teach how to fight?"

"No. She is." Mickey pointed to the main ring, where a girl in black leggings and a grey sports bra mercilessly pounding a boy twice her size with her neon pink boxing gloves.

Cheryl's eyes widened as she recognized the girl in the ring: a petite brunette with a pixie cut and soft green eyes, knocking her opponent to the ground with a massive haymaker to the gut. "Midge?"

"Hey guys!" Midge's eyes lit up as she waved to her friends from the ring, her face breaking into her usual, bubbly grin.

Cheryl was stunned. If anyone had told her that Minnie Mouse Midge was secretly a little Lady Rocky, she would've laughed in their face. Now she wondered why Moose ever had to fight for her.

"I'm glad you showed up Cheryl." Midge told her, taking off her gloves and taking a long sip from her water bottle. "Mickey told me what happened."

Cheryl looked ready to tear him apart. "You did what?"

"Rosie, I can explain."

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone," she reminded in a wavering voice "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Cheryl, it's okay," Midge assured her, wiping the sweat from her face with a towel "You're not the first girl a Serpent's gotten handsy with."

Cheryl blinked. "The Serpents?"

Yes, Rosie. I told Moose and Midge that one of the Serpents put his hands on you during the last night of the Drive-In," Mickey explained, silently pleading with her to go along "that's why I picked a fight with Joaquin. Sorry, Midge. She's still pretty sensitive about it."

"I don't blame her. After that creep from Greendale groped me at his house party, I couldn't eat for week," Midge divulged, her smile wavering slightly at the sour memory. "That's why I asked Moose to teach me how to fight. And now, I teach me how female self-defense classes on the weekends. So, you ready for your first lesson?"

Cheryl glanced uncertainly at Mickey, the blue-eyed twin giving her an encouraging smile. "Let's get this over with."

Midge reached into her gym bag and pulled out a bright red boxing gloves, slipping them onto Chery's hands. "I know it's your color. Now, the first lesson is how to throw a punch." Midge led Cheryl over to the heavy bags and getting into her stance "Keep your fists at eye level," she instructed "feet shoulder width apart, rotate your hips into the swing and-,"

 _BAM!_

Cheryl jumped at the sound of Midge's fist colliding with the bag, the echoing walks making it sound like a cannon blast.

Midge let out a huff as she grinned. "The perv's chocking on his teeth. Now, you try."

Cheryl awkwardly did her best to mimic Midge's movements, winding up her fist and giving the bag a light jab.

"Harder," Midge told her "rotate your hips. That's where the power comes."

Cheryl hit the bag again, slightly harder than before.

"You're not getting enough power in the swing. Think about when you were attacked," Midge suggested "how angry and helpless it made you feel."

Cheryl's heart started pounding as she remembered her mother's abuse: the slaps, the chokings, the slue of soul-crushing insults, her insides shriveling up as a nauseating wave of fear washed over her. Penelope was vicious enough when Cheryl made simple mistakes. To even think of provoking her by fighting back… "I can't do this."

"Rosie." Mickey quickly chased after her as she made of run for the door, gently grabbing her by the shoulders. "Wait."

"I can't do it." Cheryl's eyes filled with dread-induced terror as her voice began tremble "I can't fight my mother, Mickey. I can't."

"Yes, you can." Mickey placed both hands on the side of her face, forcing her dark brown eyes to meet his blue ones "Cheryl Rose Blossom, you are the strongest person I have ever met. Every day you walk back into that nightmare of a house just to protect your grandmother. In my book, that makes you a superhero," he said proudly "I just want you to use that same strength to protect yourself. Look, I know that you're scared. I know that you're hurting. And maybe this won't make you ready to stand up your mom," Mickey admitted "but at least you'll be able to let all that hurt and anger you've got inside. Because baby, if you don't, it's only a matter time before you explode. Take it from the guy who took out a year and half's worth abandonment out on Dilton Doiley." Taking her hand in his Mickey led Cheryl back over to the heavy bag, his hands hovering over her shoulders as she got back into her stance. "Pretend the bag's your mother," he whispered into her ear "Totally helpless and alone. You've got all the power."

Cheryl closed her eyes as she pictured the image in her head, Penelope Blossom utterly with no way to fight back, letting out a grunt as she hit the bag with a thud.

"That's it." Midge cheered "Just like that."

Cheryl clenched her jaw as she hit the bag again. Over and over, Harder and harder. Letting out a lifetime of anger and pain from Penelope's abuse, her eyes stinging with tears as her breath became ragged.

Mickey quickly pulled Cheryl into his arms as she stopped punching the bag, her entire body trembling as she gasped for air. "Feel better?"

Cheryl nodded.

* * *

" _Sunday morning, rain is falling_

 _Steal some cover, share some skin."_

 _Mickey Andrews woke up blissfully one Sunday morning, the sun softly shining through the window and onto his face. The blue-eyed twin sighed gently as he opened his eyes, lying on a king-sized mattress in a wooden bedframe, wrapped in a warm red blanket and cool white linen sheets, a beautiful woman resting her head on his chest._

" _Cheryl." Mickey gently nudged her shoulder as she slept "Wake up, baby."_

 _The scarlet-beauty let out a soft groan, burying her face in his neck as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Five more minutes."_

" _No can do, Rosie." Mickey chuckled as he sat up in the bed, causing Cheryl to pout as her pillow slipped out from under her. "We're meeting our brothers for brunch, remember?"_

" _Fine." The leader of the Rivervixens sighed as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes "You feed the dogs, and I'll make the coffee."_

" _Deal," Mickey said with a smile, his heart skipping a beat as he stole a quick kiss. The blue-eyed twin yawned as he got out of bed, wearing nothing more than a pair of grey flannel pants and a white tank top, walking out of the bedroom of his and Cheryl's apartment._

 _It was a cozy place. A loft with red brick walls and cool wooden floors, over looking the east end of Chicago river, the leaves of the trees just beginning to turn. A black iron spiral staircase connected the bedroom to the living room below, where a small brown leather couch set in front of a small flat screen TV and an unlit fireplace. They had moved here after graduating Riverdale High. Mickey was studying architecture at the Art Institute and Cheryl was studying veterinary medicine at Loyola._

" _So, who's Archie bringing with him to brunch?" Cheryl asked, throwing one of Mickey's denims shirts over her red lingerie. "Betty or Veronica?"_

" _I don't know. I lost track of that love triangle during my junior year." After grabbing filling two metal bowls with dog food, Mickey walked into a small room in the back of the apartment, where two dogs happily barked at the sight him: A Saint Bernard and a Pomeranian._

" _Morning you two." Mickey laughed as the Saint Bernard tried to get at the food in his hands, spilling some the kibble on the floor as he set them down for the dogs to feed._

 _CRASH!_

 _Mickey jumped as heard a dish shatter in the kitchen, causing the dogs to jump and bark nervously._

" _Cheryl? You okay, Baby Doll?" After a minute of silence, Mickey got up and went into the kitchen, where he saw a sight that made his heart stop._

 _Penelope Blossom stood in the middle of the kitchen, dressed in a long, tattered black gown, strangling Cheryl with a single hand, her feet dangling helplessly in the air as she gasped for breath._

 _Mickey shouted at the top of his lungs. "NO!"_

* * *

Mickey shot up in his bed the in the middle of the night, his heart desperate fighting to break free from his chest. He hoped having Midge train with Cheryl would help him as her. That maybe, knowing that the woman he loved could defend herself would give a sliver of peace of mind. So much for that idea.

* * *

Mickey arrived at the Blossom estate right after school the next day, wearing his leather jacket along with a bright red Henley shirt, black jeans and brown leather boots, a warm grey scarf wrapped around his neck, sipping on a coffee-filled thermos as he met Cheryl and Polly outside of Thornhill.

Cheryl blushed as he smiled at her. "What?"

"Your outfit," Mickey's smile widened as he confessed "You look like a sexy Little Red Riding Hood."

Cheryl's cheeks grew warm as she gave her boyfriend a teasing grin. "Are you going to protect me from the big, bad, wolf?"

"Always."

Polly rolled her eyes as the two redheads rocked back and forth in each other's arms. "Should I leave you two alone?"

Mickey chuckled. "Now you know how the school felt watching you and Jason."

"Arthur?" All eyes turned to Nana Rose as she wheeled herself outside, a mystified look on her face as she stared at the blue-eyed twin "Arthur Andrews, is that you? You look so young."

Mickey felt his inside twist up in knots as the elderly woman mistook him for his beloved grandfather.

"Nana," Cheryl knelt down in front of her grandmother as she took her hand "Arthur Andrews passed away six years ago, remember? This is his grandson, Mickey."

"Oh, that's right." Nana Rose's face saddened as her memory became clear, shaking Mickey's hand as he offered it to her "It's nice to meet you, Mickey. Your grandfather was a good man. I hope you know that."

"I do." Mickey glanced up as he noticed a herd of limousines pulling into the Blossom grounds. "Who are they?"

Cheryl's face turned sour as she stood back up. "Daddy's board of trustees. They smell blood in the water. They fear Daddy's losing his grip on the company," she explained "and now they want to take it away from us?"

"Can they do that?" Mickey asked, walking with Cheryl behind Polly and Nana Rose into the woods.

"If they all vote together they can. Jason's death was a major P.R. nightmare for Blossom maple. And now, here's Polly," Cheryl added "Pregnant and unwed. No wonder they've descended on like biblical plague. That's Daddy needs the tapping to go perfectly. I have to prove to the board that I can fill Jay-Jay's shoes."

Mickey felt his brow begin to furrow at that final sentence. "Rosie, why are you doing this? You said you wanted to be a vet, to work at animal reserves all over the world. What changed?"

Cheryl glanced down at the snow by her feet. "Teddy, for as long as I can remember, my father has been a semi-constant presence in my life. If Daddy wasn't hunkered down in his office taking calls, he was flying off the Vancouver for a board meeting. When Jason started learning about the business, he used to go with him on weekends, making father-son memories."

"You want to work for your dad so you can spend time with him," Mickey realized.

"And to get away from my mother."

Mickey felt his blood start to boil at the mention of Penelope. "Rosie, does you father know? That your mom-?"

Cheryl shook her head. "Jason and I tried to tell him once. But Mommy just convinced him we just fell down the stairs. Then she gave us another…punishment after he left for work." The sole surviving Blossom twin took in a small sense of comfort as Mickey took her hand. "Thank you for yesterday. I may not be ready to stand up to my mother, but it's nice to know that you believe I can."

"Rosie, there is nothing I wouldn't do for you," Mickey vowed devoutly "You're my mermaid."

Cheryl smiled. "And you're my knight."

After Clifford Blossom made his speech, Mickey took his place and squatted down in front of the center maple tree, hefting the small metal bucket in his hands.

Cheryl's heart started pounding as she stepped in front of the tree, the eyes of her parents and the board members boring into her skin.

"Hey." Mickey noticed the nervous expression on her face and look her in the eye "You can do this in your sleep."

Cheryl stayed silent as she stared into his eyes, the pale blue orbs full a supportive love, tightening her grip on the hammer in her hand as she hefted it up and slammed it into the spout, causing a smoot and steady flow of sap to pour from the tree and into the bucket in her boyfriend's hands.

Mickey looked up at her and smiled. "That's my girl."

* * *

Fred walked into his office trailer later that afternoon, his smile wavering at the sight of the nervous look on Hermione's face. "Hey. Is everything alright?"

"Fred, there's something I need to tell you." Hermione informed, nervously playing with her nails as she rose from her seat. "The owner of the SoDale project, it's…it's us. You're working for Lodge Industries."

Fred looked as if he'd been stabbed in the back. "You've been lying to me the whole time."

"I had to. You never would've agreed to it if you knew the truth."

"You mean risk my business by working for criminals?" Fred snapped "How could you do this to me Hermione!?"

"I'm trying to make Lodge Industries legitimate," Hermione explained "that means partnering with honest businessmen. Like you."

"Right. Because you're all about keeping things honest."

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat at the rage filled look in Fred's eye. "There's more. Those men attacked the Mason boy, Hiram sent them. I don't know how, but he found out about us."

"So now you've got me caught in the middle of a fight between Hiram and Clifford," Fred recapped "That's just great. I trusted you, Hermione," he reminded in an angry, disappointed tone "I trusted you and you played me like a fool. Again."

"Fred, I-,"

"DON'T!" he shouted, causing Hermione to jump back as she tried to take his hand, his dark brown eyes like a once stoic mountain that had erupted into a raging volcano "You are still the same self-centered, poisonous woman you have always been," Fred snapped, jabbing a finger in Hermione's face "Doing whatever it takes to get what you want, while the rest of the world pays the price. Veronica's paying it, Moose Mason's paying it, and if Clifford get his hands on this land, _I'm_ going to pay for it. One of these days Hermione, you're going to get stuck with the bill for all your mistakes," Fred promised "and when that day comes, there won't be anyone left to bail you out."

Hermione blinked slowly as Fred marched out and slammed the trailer door behind him. She knew telling him the truth was risk, but it was a necessary one. Veronica was right, gossip spread too fast in Riverdale to take the chance of Fred learning the truth from someone else. At least this way, she could control the narrative. She just wished Hiram hadn't sent those men to the site. Getting close to Fred was part of their plan, after all.

* * *

Mickey walked side by with Cheryl on the way back to Thornhill, his fingers intertwined with Cheryl's in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

Cheryl smiled as he gave her hand a squeeze, his pale blue eyes sparkling with affection. "Thank you for coming today. I don't think I could've done this without you."

"Rosie, I will always be there for you when you need me," Mickey promised "I love you."

"I love you too." Cheryl told him. They said that to each other as often as they could, those three little words never failing to bring a smile to their faces. As the two readheads continued to walk Cheryl's house, they overheard two of the Blossom Maple board members talking.

"I don't buy this dog and pony show for a second. Clifford's barely keeping it together. He hasn't been to the Vancouver office in months."

"Does he honestly think he can make Cheryl his successor?" the second board member asked with a scoff "Did you see her at Jason's funeral? Crocodile tears. Pathetic."

Cheryl shrunk back as she lowered her head, the words of the board members mimicking the same insecure thoughts ringing in her head.

Mickey looked ready to take their heads off. "Who do you think you are?"

"Teddy, it's okay." Cheryl told him. But one look at his face and she knew he wasn't backing down.

"Cheryl loved Jason. What was she supposed to do?" he asked "Not cry at her twin brother's funeral? My girlfriend is the most amazing person I have ever met. She's strong and a natural-born leader."

Cheryl felt her stomach bustle with butterflies at the sound of Mickey's praise. "Also, 4.0."

"And she had a 4.0 grade point average," Mickey added quickly, giving her an even more impressed expression "If there's one thing I've learned falling in love with Cheryl, it's to never underestimate her. And don't ever bet against her." With a scoff, Mickey wrapped an arm around Cheryl's waist and walked off, giving the board members a daring look to question a single word he said.

Cheryl blushed as he placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "You're cute when you're protective."

* * *

Mickey handed Polly a cup of hot chocolate as the two them stood under a large red canopy tent, enjoying some of the light refreshments after taking the Blossom family photo.

"You're going to be up all night at this rate," Polly warned him, the blue-eyed refilling his thermos with fresh coffee "Are you alright?"

"I haven't been sleeping," Mickey confessed talking a long sip of his drink.

"Bad dreams?" For as long as she could remember, Polly's best friend had been plagued by bone-chilling, stress-induced nightmares. Polly was his solace, listening to him recount his dreams and help him make sense of them. Maybe that was why she so interested in psychology. That, and her family history of mental illness. "What are they about?"

"You and Cheryl. In these dreams, I keep trying to protect you two from P-," Mickey stopped himself as he nearly said the name Penelope "from a monster. But I fail everytime."

"Any idea who the monster might be?"

Mickey's stomach twisted up in knots as he struggled to come up with a lie. "I guess… whoever killed Jason? I've been worried about that psycho hurting someone else ever since they found his body."

"That sounds like you," Polly said with a smile "Mickey 'Hero Complex' Andrews."

"I do not have a Hero Complex."

"Please," Polly laughed "Mickey, for as long I've known you, you've tried to be something out of a Grandpa Artie's stories. You fought Chuck and his buddies when they picked on Archie after your mom left, you fought those kids from the park near the Southside when we were little. You act like it's your job to make sure nothing happens to us."

"I don't see anything wrong with wanting to protect the people I care about," Mickey justified.

"There isn't. But you have to understand that you can't protect us from everything."

"Doesn't mean I can't try. Polly, why haven't talked to Betty?" he asked. "She's worried about you, Polly. She fought tooth and nail to find you and bring you home. Now your parents are splitting up and she's spiraling. She needs her sister. She needs you."

Polly stayed silent as she brought a hand to her stomach, a wave of guilt washing over her. She wanted to see Betty. She really did. But contacting her family right now was too risky. "Mickey,"

"Polly, come inside. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

The expecting mother jumped as Penelope Blossom called out to her, a nervous expression spreading across Polly's face. "Tell Betty not to worry about me."

Mickey's blood turned to ice as he watched Polly hurried off to Penelope's side, the Blossom matriarch grabbing Polly by the arm and leading her inside. If he did have a hero complex, it was blazing now. Mickey followed after them, his body trembling with rage as he balled his hands into tight fists.

Cheryl, who had been making small talk with the board members, noticed her boyfriend marching towards the house, his eyes blazing like a thunderstorm. "Excuse me." The scarlet bombshell hurried over to Mickey's side, grabbing his arms as he attempted to barge inside. "Teddy, what's wrong?"

"She's hurting her."

"Who?"

"Polly," Mickey answered in a panicked voice "I was talking to Polly over the by the concessions," he explained, talking faster and faster with every word "and then your mom told her to come inside…Rosie, the look on her face-,"

"Teddy," Cheryl placed both hands on the side of Mickey's face, forcing him to look her in the eye "Breathe. Breathe, love." She repeated, forcing Mickey exhale deeply as he blinked slowly, his face wracked with fear, anxiety and fatigue. At times like this, Cheryl almost regretted telling Mickey about Penelope's abuse. He couldn't protect her and Polly the way he wanted to, the way he was wired to. And it was killing him.

"Cheryl Rose." The young lovers turned around as Clifford Blossom walked over to them, his face set in a stoic yet inviting expression. "May I speak to Michael for a moment?"

With a polite yet confused nod, Cheryl walked back toward the crowd, leaving her father alone with her boyfriend.

"I just wanted to thank you for coming out her this afternoon," Clifford told him "My daughter and I do greatly appreciate you being here."

"Mr. Blossom, your daughter is very important to me." Mickey blushed slightly as he confessed "I love her."

"Ah, young love." Clifford chuckled "I remember it well. I must say, I was surprised to hear that you agreed to attend, considering your father."

Mickey frowned. "What do you mean?"

Clifford's eyes shined with a realizing light. "Just that he seems to have his hands full with the SoDale project. Will I be seeing you at the banquet this weekend?"

"Banquet?" Mickey repeated.

"The Maple banquet, it's the final stage of the celebration of Maple season." Clifford's eyes widened slightly "Cheryl didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't. Excuse me." Confused, Mickey shoved his hands into his pocket and walked over to Cheryl, the scarlet haired beauty grabbing a cup of hot coco from the concessions tent. "So, your father mentioned a Maple banquet?"

"I'm sorry. I know should've told you," Cheryl apologized quickly "It's just that, the banquet was always my favorite part of the ceremony, and I wasn't even sure if I could make through the tapping so i-,"

"Rosie." Mickey gave her a soft, supportive smile. "When's the banquet?

"Friday night at seven." She said with a smile "It's black tie. Do you own a tux?"

"I've never even worn a tux."

"Daddy can help with that. His tailor is a miracle worker."

"Alright, but only if you take this." Mickey stipulated.

Cheryl frowned as he handed her a small piece of metal. "A key?"

"To my place. I had it made over the weekend."

"Mickey-,"

"Rosie." Mickey gave her a desperate look as he spoke in a soft voice. "Please take it?"

Cheryl looked into his eyes, the pale blue orbs absolutely flooding with fear and dread. "Okay."

* * *

Mickey sat in the Cooper kitchen that evening, the blonde matriarch handing him a fresh slice of cherry pie. "Thank you for coming Mickey," Alice told him "It's so nice to have chicken in the hen house "Thanks. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Polly," Betty answered, "Is she alright?"

"As far as I can tell." Mickey answered "the Blossoms seem to be taking good care of her. Bets, I don't think she's coming home anytime soon."

"That doesn't make any sense. I know my sister," Betty insisted "She wouldn't do something like this."

"I don't think it was anything you did, Betty."

Alice raised an eyebrow as she sat down in her seat, the blue-eyed twin giving her a brief, yet silent glare. "Is there you want to say to me, Mickey?"

"Yeah, there is. I don't think Polly should stay here," he confessed "or Thornhill. If it were up to me she'd get emancipated and find her own place far away from you and Penelope."

"How dare you."

"Mom," Betty quickly stepped between Alice and Mickey as they shot up from their seats, keeping the two from tearing out each other's throats. "Don't."

"I did what I did to protect Polly," Alice justified.

"Is that what call banishing your daughter for falling in love?" Mickey questioned "Convincing the whole town that she's crazy just to hide that fact that she's pregnant and sending her to an asylum so no one will find out the truth?"

"That was Hal's plan, not mine!"

"Is that why you sent to same psych ward you went to?"

At that moment, a cold silence quickly filled the room, one that Betty ended with a nervous question "What are you talking about?"

"When Polly was looking for a place to stay, I was trying to get convince my mom to represent her for emancipation. When I told her that she'd been unjustly sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, she told me that my Grandma Ruth was nurse there. When Mrs. Cooper was a patient." Mickey looked Alice directly in the eye, taking in a dark sense of satisfaction as she started to squirm "You were there for a whole semester there during your senior year, after you cracked during an argument with Mr. Cooper. My mom said they found you crying in the hall like a baby in the middle of the halls," he added, causing Alice to lower her head "Look Mrs. Cooper, if you two want me to keep an eye on Polly and make sure she's alright, I'll do it. But if you're looking for someone to spy on the Blossoms so you can tear them to shreds in that gossip rag you call a newspaper, you're even crazier than your mother. I'm out of here."

Alice was silent for a moment, her blood boiling as Mickey grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "I'm surprised you're loyal to the Blossoms, Mickey. Especially since Clifford tried to drive your family into bankruptcy."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Alice raised an eyebrow at the confused look on his face "Clifford Blossom is the one who bought your father's original crew for the SoDale project."

Mickey stopped walking then, looking over his shoulder as he stood in front of the door. "My father said he didn't know who bought out the old crew."

Alice smirked at the shocked, confused expression on his face. "I guess you don't know him as well as you thought."

* * *

Mickey burst into his house less than minute later, marching into the kitchen where his family and Jughead were in the middle of dinner, his blood pulsing like lightning. "Clifford Blossom bought our crew." Fred's nervous look made Mickey want to scream "But you knew that, didn't you Dad? Since you ran off and confronted him at the same day."

"Son-,"

"You lied to me," Mickey's voice came out in a furious growl "You looked me in the eye and you _lied to me!"_

"For the record, I wanted to tell you the truth right from the beginning," Archie interrupted.

"You knew about this!?"

"Son, clam down," Fred pleaded.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Mickey shouted, "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to know that Alice Cooper, the town gossip, knows more about my family business than me?"

"I didn't tell you about the Blossoms because I didn't know how you'd react," Fred explained "Son, when you're young and in love, sometimes it can be hard to take the blinders off and see that she's not who you think she is."

If anyone else besides Fred had said that, Mickey would've knocked their teeth out. "You have got some nerve. You accuse Cheryl of manipulating me, when your girlfriend's been playing you since day one? You think it was just luck that we got the SoDale project even after the buyer already a contractor lined up?" he asked "Dad, the only reason we got that project Hermione gave it to you. The Lodges bought the Drive-In!" Mickey's eyes widened at the look on his father's face "You knew."

"Hermione told me afternoon. So it's my turn to ask you," Fred announced in a stern, angry voice "Why didn't _you_ tell _me_?"

"I didn't have any proof. But if I did, I would've told you the second I found it. Because I trust you," Mickey's anger dulled slightly to show a hint of disappointment "But you don't trust me." And he marched out, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Hermione walked through her living room as there was angry knock at the door, the blue-eyed son of Fred Andrews marching inside as soon as she opened the door. "We need to talk."

"Come on in," Hermione greeted sarcastically.

"You told my father you bought SoDale. Why?"

"Because I care about your father," Hermione recited "and I don't want keep secrets from him."

"Don't lie to me," Mickey snarled "That 'one that got away' BS might work on my dad, but not on me."

"Keep your voice down," Hermione hissed "My daughter's here."

"Oh really? Why don't we invite her out here? We can talk about how her daddy's a criminal and how mommy can't seem to keep her legs closed." Mickey grabbed Hermione's wrist as she attempted to slap him, squeezing it so tight, she thought it might break. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you," he warned "I'm in a very bad mood right now. And your husband's not here to protect you."

Hermione let out a sharp breath as Mickey finally let go of her arm, watching him walk around the living room like a predator toying with his prey. "If Hiram's as dangerous as you say, do you really think it's smart to threaten his family?"

"Maybe if he wasn't standing on his last leg," Mickey chuckled "Mafias, Bratvas, Cartels, they're all the same. You got to be from the right country just to get in, and you have to be a purebred to get to the top. That's why your husband was trying to set up his own crime family before he got arrested. He knew his bosses would never let a guy with Mexican blood sit at the head of their table, no matter how much money he made them."

Hermione's eyes widened. Was there anything Mary hadn't told him?

"If Hiram hadn't been poaching lieutenants from every mafia and cartel family in New York, he'd be out on bail, instead of rotting in a cell waiting for his trial. That's why you came to Riverdale to lick you wounds and hide. That's why you've put every last cent of your dirty money into this SoDale project," he listed off "It's why flinch every time FP walks in the room. And it's why you chose my father: a former Army Ranger who's been separated from his wife for two years with a weak spot for you. But I'm not my father. I know who you really are and I am on very good terms with my mother, so keep you husband dirty business away from my dad, or I will reign the wrath of God on your family," Mickey promised "and the only one that's going to make it through without a scratch is your daughter."

* * *

Veronica Lodge sat alone in her bedroom later that evening, a series of notes and textbooks laid out in front of her when her phone went off. It was Archie, requesting a video chat. Veronica answered the call and smiled. "Hi."

" _Hey."_ The young songwriter sat alone in his garage, wearing a soft beige cardigan over a white t-shirt, his dark brown eyes sparkling at the sight of her.

Veronica blushed. "What?"

" _Nothing. I've just never seen you in glasses before,"_ Archie noticed.

The raven-haired princess adjusted the elegant black frames on her face. "Well, how do I look?"

" _Beautiful as always."_

Veronica felt her heart go from zero to sixty in less than a second. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call, Archiekins?"

" _Just trying to avoid the fight that's going to break out when Mickey comes. He just found out that Clifford Blossom bought out our old crew from the SoDale project."_

"Wait a minute." Veronica's eyes widened slightly in surprise "you're telling me that for the past week, Mickey had no idea that his girlfriend's father nearly bankrupt his family business."

" _Nope. And to make matters worse, he found from Alice Cooper of all people,"_ Archie added. " _We were trying to protect him, Ronnie. Mickey and Cheryl have been practically joined at the hip ever since we started the SoDale project."_

"And you thought she was in Clifford's scheme," Veronica assumed "Trust me Archie, Cheryl is the last person Clifford wants in on his corporate agenda."

" _What do you mean?"_

"I mean that Cheryl's father has been keeping his upper management trapped in the 1950s. Blossom Maple Farms only its first female vice president three months ago. Do you really think a guy like that wants his daughter as the next CEO?"

" _Which means I kept secrets from my brother for nothing. Great."_ Archie sighed _"I just hope they don't start arguing again?"_

"Again?"

" _When my mom left, Mickey and Dad fought all the time. Everytime we heard new rumor at school, Mickey came home in a fit, needing to know if it was true or not. But he never told us why Mom left."_

"So you two have no idea why your parents split up?"

Archie shook his head. _"Looking back, I can see the beginning of the end started around their anniversary. They went out of town to celebrate for the weekend. And when they got back things were…different. They were sad, they talked less, it was like they were afraid to get near to each other. Then, about a month later, we came home from school and found dad drinking at three o'clock. And that's when he told us Mom was gone."_

"She just left? Without saying anything?"

" _She left a note. It said that she and Dad were having problems, that she needed some time to herself. That it wasn't our fault. I had a hard time believing that last bit,"_ Archie confessed _"Sometimes I'm still not sure I believe it."_

"The allow me to help with that," Veronica offered, looking into his eyes as she spook in a firm yet gentle voice "You are not responsible for your parents' separation, Archie Andrews. I know haven't met your mother, but I'm sure that she loves you."

" _Then why doesn't she come to visit, Ronnie? Why did it take Mickey getting arrested for her to come home after staying in Chicago for over a year? Why did we have to leave messages on her voicemail on birthdays and holidays instead of seeing her in person? Why did let my brother back into her life and not-," Archie cut his words short as his voice began to tremble._

"Archie," Veronica gave him a soft expression as she asked "Do you feel jealous that Mickey got to spend the summer with your mom and you didn't?"

" _It was a punishment,"_ he said after a moment of silence _"It was supposed to be a punishment. But then she found that baseball camp, and now they talk on the phone almost every day. Like she never left."_ Archie swallowed a lump in his throat as he confessed _"I would've liked to have the chance to reconnect with my mother."_

"You still can. Have you tried talking to her?" Veronica suggested.

" _I've been trying to get into the habit of calling her at least once a week. But every time I pick up the phone… I get scared."_

"Of what?"

" _That she won't pick up. And I'll be stuck listening to that voicemail. Just like all those times when I was a kid."_ Archie squeezed his eyes shut as he cleared his throat, doing his best to keep himself from crying. _"Sorry."_

"It's 2017 Archie," Veronica reminded "It's okay for a man to cry."

" _Ronnie, I spent the better part of the past two years crying over my mom. I think I've spent more than my fair share of tears. These days, when something bothers me, I just put the feelings into a song."_

"Well, should the day come when artistic expression fails, my shoulder's free."

" _I'll keep that in mind."_ Archie gave her a soft smile as he started to hear a familiar tune in his head _"So, how's your day going?"_

Veronica felt her heart twist up in knots. "Ethel's father invested in Lodge Industries. He lost a lot of his savings when my father was arrested. And to make matters worse, Daddy's trial is happening soon, and my mom wants me to testify on his behalf. Just like Ethel's dad, and countless other people just like him, are going to testify that Hiram Lodge deserves to rot behind bars."

" _Sounds like I'm not the only one having a rough day."_ Archie commented _"What are you going to do?"_

"Honestly, I have no idea." Veronica leaned back on her silk pillows and sighed "I want my father come home, Archie. I want my family back together. But I don't want to have to lie or put the Muggs out on the street to get him back. But most of all-,"

" _You just want it all to be over. To know once and for all if your family can ever be the way it used to be."_ Archie gave her a small, sympathetic smile _"Try living like that for two years."_

"How you deal with it?"

" _Music. When I was little, my mom and I would listen to Grandpa Theo's old records whenever I had a bad,"_ Archie remembered fondly _"I guess music has always been my way of dealing with things."_

"Mine's shopping."

Archie chuckled. _"Well since the mall is closed, maybe this will make you feel better."_

The brown-eyed twin set his phone on the small wooden table in front of him, adjusting carefully so Veronica could see him on the video chat, picking up his guitar and playing a familiar tune.

" _I can show you the world,_

 _Shining, shimmering splendid_

 _Tell me, princess, now when_

 _did you last let your heart decide?"_

Veronica blushed as the word princess left Archie's lips, the tone of his voice making her heart soar. She didn't know how he knew _Aladdin_ was her favorite Disney movie, but she had a feeling Kevin had something to do with it. Hearing that song, it reminded of all the times she had watched _Aladdin_ with Hiram, and how he promised to make all her dreams come true. Her father, her magic genie. But hearing Archie sing this song to her, made her finally realize how Jasmine must've felt on that magic carpet.

" _I can open your eyes,_

 _Take you wonder by wonder_

 _Over, sideways and under_

 _On a magic carpet ride_

 _A whole new world,_

 _A new fantastic point of view_

 _No one to tell us no_

 _Or where to go,_

 _Or say we're only dreaming."_

" _A whole new world_

 _A dazzling place I never knew_

 _But when I'm way up here,_

 _It's crystal clear,_

 _That now I'm in a whole new world with you."_

" _Wow_ ," Archie stopped playing suddenly as Veronica started to sing along, looking at her as if she were something out of a fairytale.

Veronica's face turned as red as his hair. "What?"

" _Your voice. It's…_ _draidheachd._ _"_

Veronica tilted her head, recognizing the final as Scottish. "What does that mean?"

" _Magic."_

* * *

"Archie. Archie, wake up."

The brown-eyed twin woke suddenly at the sound of his best friend's voice, blinking rapidly as his vision blurred. He didn't remember falling asleep after talking to Veronica. Only singing at least Disney songs with over the phone, and a hazy dream of the two of sailing across a sea of stars. "Jug, what time is it?"

"A little after eleven," he answered, "I was writing at Pop's when Betty called. Her mom chucked a brick at her dad through a window at the Register."

"Jeez." Archie felt the familiar sting of guilt as he played wit h his necklace. He hand no idea things between Alice and Hal were that bad. He wanted to help Betty, but after the way Jughead blew up at him last week, he thought it'd better if he kept his distance. The last thing Archie wanted was to be the reason the relationship between his best friends fell apart. "Where's Mickey?" he asked, noticing the empty bed in the room "Did he ever come home."

"Follow me." Jughead led his best friend into the main hall, where Mickey Andrews lay asleep at the bottom of the stairs. "I found him like this when I got in. Poor guy couldn't even make it up the steps."

"Mickey," Archie spoke softly as he knelt down at his brother's side, gently rocking his shoulder back and forth. "Mick."

The blue-eyed twin jumped as he woke from his sleep, a panicked, angry look on his face.

"Mickey. Mickey!" Archie repeated, grabbing his brother by the shoulders and forcing him to meet his eye. "It's me."

Mickey took a deep breath as he settled down, blinking slowly as he rubbed his eyes. "Hey."

"Hey," Archie repeated "Where were you?"

"I went for. Trying to figure out to what to do about the Blossoms trying to torpedo the SoDale project."

"Are you going to tell Cheryl?"

"I will. After the Maple banquet this weekend." Mickey stipulated "she's got enough on her plate with her dad's board of directors in town."

"You really think that's the best idea?" Jughead questioned.

"Not really. But it's the best I've got right now."

Archie stared at his brother for a moment, the fatigued circles surrounding his eyes growing as dark as Jughead's. "Mick, what is going on with you? You've barely slept in a week, and half the time I hear you calling Cheryl and Polly's names."

For a minute, the blue-eyed twin was silent, trying to determine just how much he could say without breaking his vow of silence to Cheryl. "I've been having these dreams. Dreams that are like something out of Camelot or Middle Earth. And in the dreams, I'm a knight and I'm trying to save these two princesses."

"Cheryl and Polly."

Mickey nodded. "I do everything I can protect them. Everything I can to get to get them away the witch that's keeping them prisoner, but it's never enough. But this dream, the one I just had, it was different."

"You finally slayed the witch?" Jughead presumed.

"I don't think so. The dream started like we were running away from something. I think I snuck Cheryl and Polly past the witch," he theorized "So, I brought them back to the safest place I could think of: The Andrews family castle. It was burning and in ruins. Someone had attacked when I gone. First person I found was Veronica, crying over my brother's dead body." Mickey felt a lump form in his throat at the look on Archie's face. "She kept telling me that she was sorry, that she didn't know what they were going to do. That's when I saw her parents in the throne room. Hiram was sitting in Dad's seat."

Archie felt an icy chill run down his spine as he asked. "Where was Dad?"

"Lying on the floor with a sword in his chest." Mickey felt his stomach twit up knots as the image reappeared in his mind: Fred's cold and lifeless sitting at the edge of his throne, a long blood covered stick of metal spouting out of chest like a tree of death. "That's why I can't sleep, guys. I'm afraid that if I close my eyes for too long, I'm going to wake up and someone I love's going to be gone."

* * *

Mickey walked down the stairs into the living room with Archie the next morning, the blue-eyed twin wearing a grey hoodie, jeans and sneakers.

"You get any sleep last night?" Archie asked.

"Hardly. This time I dreamt we were living in the 50s," Mickey began "and Mom was home, and Grandma and Grandpa were alive, and the whole world was in black and white. We were all sitting down for a family dinner, when Hiram Lodge kicked down the door, whipped out a tommy gun, and killed us all because Dad was sneaking around with Hermione."

"Jeez."

"Yeah. I swear Archie, if I don't get some decent sleep soon, I'm going to-," Mickey's voice trailed off the two of them walked into the kitchen, an icy chill filling the air as the blue-eyed twin locked his father drinking coffee. "Hey."

"Hey. First off, I want to apologize for not telling you about Clifford Blossom," Fred started off "That was a mistake."

"Yeah, it was."

"Which is why I wanted to be the first to tell you that we're dropping the SoDale project."

"What?"

Fred nodded. "I called Hermione and told her that I've already started the paperwork."

"Dad, you can't do that," Mickey insisted "We can't afford to lose this deal."

"I'm not going to be Hiram Lodge use me a laundromat for his dirty money," Fred stated "Look, I know times are tough. But we'll find a way to make ends meet."

"How, by getting a second mortgage on the house?" Mickey questioned "Dad if we lose this deal, we're going to go bankrupt!"

"That is enough!" Fred snapped as his son began to raise his voice "The SoDale project is done. End of discussion."

The second his father left the room, Mickey slammed his palm on the kitchen countertop. "He did it again. He made a decision about the business without even asking me. _Again."_

"Mick, calm down," Archie told him.

"I can't calm down! Don't tell me to calm-," Mickey's voice trailed off as his head started spinning, gripping the counter as his knees started to buckle "Whoa."

"Mickey." Archie hurried over to his brother's side, a deeply concerned look in his face "Are you okay."

"Yeah. Yeah," He repeated in a less than convincing tone "I just got a little lightheaded for a second. Guess I'm a little more tired than I thought."

"Maybe you should as Dad if you can stay home from school," Archie suggested.

"Can't. Not today. I promised Cheryl I'd go with her to Polly's doctor appointment before school, I have a tuxedo fitting with Mr. Blossom during my free period," he listed off "and I have a math quiz in sixth period."

"Mickey, you have to get some rest."

"I will," he promised "after the Maple Banquet. First thing Saturday morning, I'm going tell Cheryl about her dad poaching our crew, then slip into a mini-coma for the rest of the weekend. And pray to God I don't have anymore bad dreams."

* * *

Betty and Jughead walked side by side into the Student Lounge, where Riverdale's most famous scarlet-haired couple were snuggled up together on the couch. "Cheryl, we need to talk."

"Shh, not so loud." Cheryl gave the young couple as glare as she gestured to Mickey's head resting in her lap, the blue-eyed twin attempting to get some much-needed sleep before class. "My poor Teddy Bear has been plagued with the most terrible nightmares. He was so tired when I picked him this morning, that I insisted he get some rest before class."

"Cheryl," Betty spoke in a low, intense whisper, her nails digging into her palms as she balled hands into fists. "This is important."

"So is my boyfriend's well-being," Cheryl justified in a low voice "No, what did you want to talk about, Betty?"

"Polly. Look, I don't know what kind of Stockholm spell you've put on her, but I want to talk to my sister," she demanded "Now."

"Keep your voice down," Cheryl scolded as Mickey stirred in his sleep "Let's not fight now, Betty. Especially not when we should be celebrating."

"Why?" Jughead asked in a suspicious tone "What happened?"

"Before school, Mickey and I took Polly to a doctor's appointment. It turns out she is having twins."

"What!?"

Mickey let out a low groan at Betty's sudden outburst, his tired blue eyes reluctantly opening up. "Why?"

"See what you did," Cheryl glared at Betty and Jughead as she ran her fingers through Mickey's hair "You woke him up, you bride of a baby Serpent."

"That was the first nightmare-free sleep I've had in over a week," Mickey griped "No monsters, no witches, no mobsters. Just a nice, peaceful dream about Thanksgiving with my friends and family. My mom flew us all to Chicago. We sent to the _Macy's_ parade, the Bears beat the Packers' butts, and I swear, I could smell the turkey. You better have good reason for waking me up, Betts," Mickey's voice trailed off as he let out a massive yawn. "So…tired."

"Mickey. Mickey!" Betty slapped her neighbor's knee as he started to doze off "Is Polly really twins?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Mickey nuzzled his face into Cheryl's stomach as he handed Betty a picture from her pocket "She let me have a photo of the ultrasound."

Betty's anger turned to heartache as she stared at the photo of sister's unborn children. "I can't believe she didn't tell me. Cheryl, Mickey, will you two please give a message to Polly."

"I suppose," Cheryl said with a shrug "If I remember it."

"This isn't a joke, Cheryl," Jughead snapped.

"Hey," Mickey gave the young writer warning glare "watch your tone. You talk to my girlfriend like that again, and we're going to have a serious," Mickey blinked slowly as he stifled a yawn "problem. What's the message Betts?"

"Just ask her to call my mom," she requested "she won't admit it, but she really misses Polly."

"Of course, Betty. But I can't promise that she'll care," Cheryl warned, giving her boyfriend a soft expression "Go back to sleep, my love. There's still ten minutes before class."

"Rosie," Mickey felt his eyelids go limp and he look up at her, the rhythmic sensation of her fingers running through his hair lulling him into a limbo between sleep and consciousness "I need to tell you something."

"Whatever it is, it can wait."

"But Rosie-,"

"Shh." Cheryl placed a gentle finger on his lips, smiling sweetly as she started to sing.

" _Wise men say only fools rush in_

 _But I can't help falling in love with you."_

Mickey felt his will to resist fade away at the beautiful sound of her voice, his mind drifting into a dream of a lush, green field by the river, where a knight was serenaded by a beautiful mermaid.

" _Like a river flows surely to the sea_

 _Darling so it goes_

 _Some things are meant to be_

 _Take me hand, take my whole life too_

 _For I can't help falling in love with you."_

* * *

During his free period, Mickey went to get fitted for a tux for the Maple Banquet. He wasn't too keen on letting two middle-aged, fully clothed men see him in his underwear, but the banquet was black tie and Clifford was handling the bill.

"Jacques here has been tailoring for family for years," the Blossom patriarch stated "He should have this finished by the time you get home from school."

"Thanks."

Clifford raised an eyebrow at the sour tone in the young man's voice. "Micheal, while some may find your blunt and direct honesty disrespectful I personally believe to be quite refreshing. So if you have something to say to me, by all means, say it."

Mickey clenched his jaw as he turned around to look him in the eye. "I know you bought out our old crew."

"Judging by your newfound hostility, I suspect you weren't aware during the tapping."

"No, I wasn't. Does Cheryl know about this?" Mickey didn't know why he asked that. In his heart, he knew she would never keep something like that from him. But his brain was so sleep-deprived that it needed help getting the message.

"No, she doesn't. I always thought my daughter was too…emotional for the corporate world."

Emotional. Mickey was starting to hate that word. Nearly half of Mary's colleagues used that word as a reason why she was unfit to be an A.D.A. Every time a man used that word to describe a woman he loved, Mickey wanted to punch his lights out.

"Although, she has been proving otherwise this week. Micheal, whatever inconvenience I may have caused you and your father, I assure you it was nothing personal," Clifford told him.

"Why do you even want the Drive-In land, Mr. Blossom? It's not like it's covered in maple trees."

"True, but it is where my family's first maple factory once stood. Losing Jason," Clifford paused as he struggled to keep his voice level "it's reminded of importance of legacy."

"Well, you won't have to worry about us getting in your way for much longer. My dad's dropping the SoDale contract."

"You don't seem to be agreement with that decision."

Mickey scoffed as he put his pants back on. "My father made a personal decision that the buyer is not happy with. And now we're turning our backs on some much needed money."

"Sounds like we have a common enemy." Clifford noticed "and you know what they say about that. Two years ago, I shut down the Southside maple factory. I realize now, that was a mistake. One I intend to rectify."

"You want to turn the Drive-In land to build a new factory," Mickey realized.

"And breathe new life into Riverdale. Micheal, Cheryl tells me that you've been showing interest in architecture," Clifford recalled "How would you like to build and design the new factory?"

Mickey had spent enough time with lawyers over the summer to know when a deal was too good to be true. "What's the catch?"

"Tell me who the buyer is."

* * *

Archie stood in front of his locker during the hours of school, dressed in a red cardigan, a black t-shrit, jeans and sneakers, grabbing a series of books for his class, listening to one of his unfinished songs. After talking to Veronica, Archie was finally able to finish the instrumental of the song she inspired. But he still didn't have any lyrics. As he made his way to class, the young songwriter came face to with Valerie Brown, an awkward feeling settling into his stomach. They had barely talked since the night of Polly's baby shower.

"Hey."

"Hey," Valerie echoed "Can we talk?"

"That depends," Archie's jaw clenched up as he asked "Are you going to call my brother a psycho again?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "I get it, Archie. You're mad."

"That's one way of putting it."

"But I am too. How am I supposed to react when I find out that my boyfriend went to the Southide and picked a fight with a bunch of gang members?"

As Valerie kept talking, Archie noticed Kevin and Veronica at the other end of the hall, the New York native's face turning as pale as a ghost. He didn't know what Kevin had said to her, but shook her to the very core.

"Archie," Valerie snapped as she noticed the distant look on his face "Are you listening to me?"

But he wasn't. The second he saw Veronica take off around the corner, Archie took off right behind her.

He found her on the floor next to the girl's bathroom, her beloved pearl necklace broken and scattered across the floor, crying her eyes like a heartbroken child.

"Ronnie." Archie scrambled to floor as he closed the gap between them, his mind racing with all the dark possibilities that could've occurred in the mere seconds she was out of his sight. "Ronnie, what's wrong? Ronnie, what happened?"

Veronica's response was a single sob, chocked out through a gut-wrenching sob. "Daddy."

"Did something happen to your father?" Archie asked, causing Veronica's sobs to escalate into full-blown bawling. running low on ideas, Archie simply pulled her close and rested Veronica's head on his chest, the New York native's tears damping the young songwriter's shirt as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's going to okay, Ronnie," Archie whispered "It's going to be okay.

* * *

"Ethel Muggs' father attempted suicide this morning."

After ten straight minutes of crying, Veronica finally settled down enough to tell Archie what happened, her voice now weak and raspy. The New York native sat with her back pressed against the lockers as she spoke, her knees pressed tightly against her chest, her eyes red and puffy, her cheeks stained from running mascara, while Archie silently draped his cardigan over her shoulders

"My father convinced him to invest in Lodge Industries at the last high school reunion. Mr. Muggs was supposed to be one of the testify against daddy during the trial. But then he fell behind on his mortgage. And they repossessed his car, and the gas company threatened to turn off the heat. That's when he remembered his eighty thousand dollar life insurance policy," Veronica felt her voice begin to tremble as she went on "So after Ethel went to school he, he went into his room and swallowed half a month's worth of prescription pills. All for eighty thousand dollars," she repeated "my father spent at twice that much on last birthday."

"Ronnie, you can't blame yourself for this," Archie insisted softly.

"I don't blame myself. I blame my father. Archie during our final days of New York, I was Ethel Muggs," Veronica told him "I was the girl with the father who couldn't make ends meet. I was the girl with the bill collector knocking on my door everyday. I was the girl with the world falling apart around her. That is what my father has done, Archie. Because of him, countless families like Ethel's through the same thing the FBI put us on." Veronica's stung with tears as she looked at her broken necklace on the floor, wondering how many innocent people were swindled so Hiram could buy it for her. "What if Mickey's right? What if my father really is some kind of criminal?"

"Veronica, I know what you're going through. I went through the same thing when my parents split up," Archie reminded "But you can't let all these rumors change how you think about your dad."

"You don't understand." Veronica blinked slowly as her heart twisted up knots. "Archie, he bought the Drive-In."

"I know."

New York native gave the young songwriter a wide-eyed expression. "You do?"

Archie nodded. "My dad told us last night. But Mickey figured it out a while ago."

"Did he also figure out that my father sent the men that attacked Moose?"

Now it was Archie's turn to look surprised. "He found out about the affair, didn't he?"

Veronica nodded.

"But how?"

"I told him." Veronica locked eyes with Archie only for a moment, but it was enough to make her blood turn to ice. "It was, it was after the Variety Show. My mom wanted me to, to co-sign the construction contract over to your father. But I told her I wouldn't do it unless she promised not to see your father anymore."

"That's why she forged your signature."

Veronica nodded. "I was spiraling, Archie. Terrified," she emphasized, as the tears started trickling down her cheeks "of the devastating possibility my family was self-destructing. So like every cookie-cutter Daddy's girl, I called my father. And I told him everything. And he promised me that he was going to come home, that he was going to win my mother back, and that everything was going to be okay. And I believed him. I'm sorry, Archie. I'm so sorry," she repeated "If I had known my father would do something like that."

The moment he locked eyes with her, Archie realized it was impossible for him to feel even slightest hint of anger towards Veronica. "I forgive you."

But she was too lost in her own guilt and sorrow to hear him. "Those men could've killed Moose. They could've killed your father. They could've killed _you._ "

"Veronica." Archie gently cupped her face with his hands, forcing her bloodshot, tear-filled eyes to meet his own "I forgive you. Whatever your father's done, it is not. Your. Fault. Now I don't know what kind of man your father is, but I know that he loves you. And no matter what the rest worlds says, you need to remember that he loves you."

"You've never even met my father. How could you know that he loves me?"

"How could he not?" Archie's face morphed into a brief smile "You're smart, you're funny, you fight tooth and nail for what you believe in and you're always there for the people that care about you. You're the type of girl that soldiers fight their way home for. That knights slayed dragons for. That kings go to war for. How could anyone not love you?"

Veronica was speechless. No one had ever made her feel as special as Archie did. Not even Hiram. So she kissed him.

It was a soft kiss. As timid and unsure as her first, but as soon as she felt Archie kiss her back, she felt her confidence start to come back.

Archie knew that this was wrong. He should've stopped the kiss before it even began. But the second he recognized the familiar taste of Veronica's lips, he was back in that closet, his eyes slipping closed as he gave into the intoxicating pleasure that was the kiss of Veronica Lodge.

Neither one of them knew exactly why they stopped. Maybe it was the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Or the sudden remembrance of Valerie. But the kiss ended as suddenly as it began, a guilt-ridden look spreading across Veronica's face.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," New York native shot up from the floor, backing away as Archie tired to take her hand. "I-I, I have to go."

"Veronica." Archie sighed as she took off out of sight, resting his head against the wall as he slammed his palm against the floor. Why did he do it? Why did he kiss a girl that wasn't his girlfriend?

The brown-eyed twin snapped out of his self-loathing thoughts as he heard something crash against the lockers, looking across the hall to see his brother lying unconscious on the floor with Cheryl kneeling over him.

"Mickey!" Archie raced over to his brother's side, his heart racing with fear and panic. "What happened?"

"He fainted," Cheryl answered.

"He what?"

"He got a call on his phone and he collapsed. Teddy," Cheryl's face twisted up in fear and sorrow as shook her boyfriend's shoulder "Teddy, wake up. Wake up."

Desperate for answers, Archie surveyed the scene around him and spotted his brother's phone lying on the floor and picked it up. It wasn't a call that made Mickey faint, it was a voicemail. From Marcus, Mary's boyfriend. Why would he call Mickey?

 _"Mickey? It's Marcus. Look uh, there's no easy way to tell you this. Your mother was in a car accident."_

* * *

 _Mary Andrews sat in her car on the way to work, dressed in her favorite light grey pantsuit and a peach blouse, listening to her favorite Journey songs on the stereo. As she drove a four-way intersection, a black SUV came barreling through a red light and plowed into Mary's car, knocking into a lamppost as it burst into flames._

* * *

"Mom!"

Mickey sat straight up as his nightmare came to an end, his mind racing as he found himself lying on a bed in the nurse's office, noticing Cheryl and Archie sitting side by side.

"Teddy." Cheryl scrambled over to his side, wrapping her arms around him as he gasped for air. "It's okay. It's okay, baby. It was just a dream."

"My mom." Mickey's face turned white as the end of his dream kept playing over and over in his mind. "My mom."

"Your mom's okay," she told him "just a couple scrapes and bruises. Her car got the worst of it."

"How did-?"

"Archie. He listened to Marcus' voicemail and told me what happened."

Mickey let out a deep sigh as he buried his face in his hands, his heart racing as he tried to calm down. "Why does my head hurt?"

"Probably because you hit on the lockers when you fainted."

"When I what?"

"Sweetie, you fainted," Cheryl confirmed sympathetically "You heard Marcus' voicemail and you collasped. Archie had to help me carry you to the nurse's office."

"Terrific." Mickey groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose "Reggie's never going to let me live this down."

"Son." At that moment, Fred Andrews hurried into the nurse's office with Archie, wearing a green Sherpa shirt jacket, a grey t-shirt, black jeans and boots, a deeply concerned look on her face. "You alright?"

"Fine."

"You call a sixteen year-old boy passing out in the middle of the afternoon fine?"

"It was the stress and fatigue, Mr. Andrews. He's barely slept in almost two weeks. He's been having the most terrifying nightmares," Cheryl listed off "and he just found out that his mother was in a car accident. The nurse said it was perfectly normal given his condition."

"Really?" Fred gave the young woman an unsettling expression "Thank you, Cheryl. I appreciate you helping Mickey. Now can you give me a minute alone with my boys?"

"No." Mickey give his father an argumentative expression "Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Cheryl."

 _"Son."_ Fred gave Mickey a stern look as he spoke in the ancestor's native tongue _"We need to talk."_

Mickey sighed he gave Cheryl an apologetic look "I'll see you tonight at the banquet, Rosie. I love you."

"I love you too." Cheryl echoed. And after stealing a quick kiss, she headed off to class.

"So," Fred crossed his arms as he asked "How long have you been having a nightmares?"

Mickey shrugged. "A few days."

"Two weeks is a lot more than a few days," Fred countered "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. Why didn't you tell me about the Clifford Blossom?"

"Mickey, this is your health we're talking about," Fred sighed as he struggled to calm "I don't want you to go the banquet."

"What?"

"Son, you just passed out less than an hour ago."

"I am not going to bail on Cheryl on the last minute," Mickey refused.

"This isn't up for discussion, Mickey."

"You're right, it's not. Because there nothing you can say or do that's going to keep me-,"

"Enough!" Archie snapped, causing his father and brother and snapped "Look, I get that you two aren't on the best terms right now, but can we please focus on Mom for one second."

Mickey felt a chill run down his spine. "You said she was okay."

"She is. But okay doesn't mean safe. I just got off the phone Marcus," Archie informed his family "and apparently the guy that hit Mom is a drug runner for someone named Vincero Santiago."

Fred's heart pounded like a rock slide. His blood turned to lava. His saw nothing but red. He knew Vincero Santiago. And he could only think of one reason why he would go after Mary. "I have to go."

Archie frowned his father marched out. "Where's he going?"

"I don't know. Archie, I know Vincero Santiago," Mickey revealed "He's a major player in the Mexican drug cartel. Mom was trying to put him away when I got to Chicago. But the district attorney took her off the case halfway through June."

"So why would he go after Mom now?"

"I don't know. _Brother,"_ Mickey spoke to Archie in Scottish Gaelic as the nurse came in and gave him a checkup " _Clifford Blossom offered us a job. He wants us to build him a new Maple factory. He's even willing to let me design some of the offices. But we'd have to tell him Hiram Lodge owns SoDale."_

 _"Wow. That's a big deal."_

 _"I know."_

 _"There's just one thing keeping me from telling you to take it: Veronica."_ Archie felt the broken pearl necklace in his pocket start to weigh a ton _"She is spiraling, brother. She's already lost so much, and now she's starting to lose faith in her father. Brother, Hermione had to break the law to get Hiram that land,"_ he reminded _"What happens to Veronica if both her parents go to prison?"_

Mickey sighed. _"I don't know."_

* * *

Fred burst into Pembrook that afternoon, boiling like a raging volcano the second he saw Hermione having her lunch. "How dare you."

"Fred," the raven-haired mother leaned back in her seat casually "What are you doing here?"

"I just got a call from Chicago. Some thug ran his car into Mary's cab on her way to work."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the tone in his voice. "Why do get the feeling that you think I had something to do with it?"

"Because the thug works for Vincero Santiago. Your brother." Fred's jaw locked up a like vice "Tell me that this has nothing to do with me backing out of the SoDale project."

Hermione said nothing, a cunning smile spreading across her face as her neutral façade faded away. "Same old Fred. Always rushing to defend little Saint Mary's honor. Even when you have no idea what's going on."

"What are you talking about?"

"What does your wife do Fred?"

"She's a lawyer."

"Not just a lawyer. An ADA." After taking a sip from her wine, Hermione rose from her seat, slowly walking over to him while her heels clicked against the floor "One that has been a thorn in my family's side for years. It was Mary Andrews was who received the anonymous call accusing Hiram of embezzlement. And before that, she was trying to convict Vincero on these ridiculous drug trafficking charges."

Fred felt like a fool. "That's what this has all been about, isn't it?" he realized "Getting close to me, having Andrews Construction work the SoDale project, it's all been about keeping an eye on Mary."

"Well, not all of it." Hermione now stood less than a foot away from Fred, her breath gently tickling his neck "I have never would understand why people try to separate business and pleasure."

Fred grabbed her wrist as she attempted to stroke his face, squeezing it tight as his eyes blazed with fury.

"There he is. _El semental salvaje._ The wild stallion. My naughty little boy next door. That's why I left you, Fred," Hermione explained "because you don't know to embrace your darkness. But Hiram does. And darkness excites me, " she said with a wicked smile "But you, you always have to be the white knight. That's why I had FP send that snake to Pop's. I knew you wouldn't be able resist helping a damsel in distress." After wiping her hand free of his grasp, Hermione took a step back and shrugged. "Back out of the project. Or don't. It's your decision. But I can assure you, Vincero will be far more forgiving to Mary if you stay."

Fred's hands balled into fists. His eyes saw only red. He let this happen. He was so lonely, so desperate for female companionship, that he let the one woman who had hurt him more than anyone back into his life. And now he was trapped. "If anything else happens to Mary-,"

"It won't," Hermione promised "You have my word."

Like he would trust that now. "Twenty percent."

"Excuse me?"

"You want me to stay on the project? Then I want twenty percent on the project," Fred stated "And until my part is done, every move from here on out is one hundred percent legit."

Hermione paused for a moment. "I can live with that."

"Good."

"Fred?" Hermione gave the construction worker a teasing grin as he stopped in front of the door "No goodbye kiss?"

* * *

Mickey sat with Cheryl at the Maple banquet that evening, tuxedo with a red velvet blazer, pulling at the silky red necktie around his throat as he struggled to breathe.

"Stop fidgeting," Cheryl said with a laugh, wearing a dark green gown "You look amazing."

"You look amazing, _maighdeann-mhara."_

Cheryl blushed. "Thank you. For everything. Everyone here was expecting me to fail."

"Not everybody." Mickey reached over and took her hand giving it a gentle squeeze, noticing Clifford Blossom watching them from across the table

"What's wrong? Cheryl tilted her head as she noticed the worried look on his face "Are you still worried about your mom?"

"Rosie, there's something I need to tell you."

Cheryl frowned at the serious look on his face, remembering when he tried to talk her this morning. "What is it?"

"Not tonight. Tonight is your night, and I don't want to ruin that. Can we go get breakfast tomorrow? Please?"

Cheryl stayed silent as she looked into Mickey eyes, his tired blue orbs nervous and pleading "Okay."

"Micheal," The two redheads looked away from each other as Clifford Blossom walked over to them "may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Uh, sure." Mickey got up from his seat and followed Clifford over to a silent corner in the hall.

"So, have you thought about what we discussed earlier?" he asked.

"I have. And it were up to me, I'd be signing the papers right now." Mickey told him, shifting his weight back and forth "but it's not up to me, Mr. Blossom. It's up to me and my father. And I haven't even had time to tell him because...our mother was in a car accident today."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, my boy." Clifford Blossom placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder, giving it a squeeze with a sympathetic smile "Take some time. Check in on your mother. I completely understand. I must say Micheal, you and Cheryl quite the pair," he praised, taking a sip from his scotch "It's nice to know my daughter has found someone who can ease her more...emotional behavior."

There was that word again. If Mickey heard that word one more time, he was going to seriously hurt someone.

"Mickey?" the blue-eyed twin looked over at Polly as she walked over to him, a friendly yet pleading look on her face "You want to dance?"

"Sure. Excuse me, Mr. Blossom." Mickey took his best friend's hand and followed her onto the dance floor, softly swaying back and forth to the music.

"You need to get Betty to back off," she whispered urgently "right now."

"Why? So you can keep avoiding her?" Mickey questioned "So she can feel alone while your family falls apart around her? Polly, why are doing this, it's like you're torturing your sister just for trying to help y-,"

"I think Cheryl's parents killed Jason."

Polly's hushed outburst made Mickey's head spin. "Polly, do you hear yourself? Why would the Blossoms want to kill their only son?"

"Because they're monsters. I see how Cheryl flinches every time Penelope walks by. Jason talked about Clifford like he was the devil. Mickey, my sent me away to an insane asylum for falling in love with the enemy," she reminded "What do you think Blossoms would've done if they found out?"

Mickey's stomach sank to his knees. He couldn't picture Clifford hurting Jason, but Penelope... "Polly, if what you're saying is true, you need to be very, very careful," he warned "because if the Blossoms are willing to kill their own son, what do you think they'll do to you?" At that moment, Mickey spotted Clifford and Cheryl arguing on the other end of the banquet, the scarlet bombshell, getting so worked up that she turned around and marched out.

* * *

Archie walked side by side with Veronica into the hospital early their evening, the New York native holding small pot of white flowers in her hand.

"You didn't have to come with me Archie," she told him.

"I wanted to. You've been through a lot today." The brown-eyed twin reached over to take her hand, only for her to pull away. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Veronica paused for a moment as she asked "Have you talked to Valerie? About-?"

"No. No," he repeated, his cheeks turning red at the thought of their forbidden kiss "To be honest, we haven't really talked in a while. She wasn't exactly too happy with me when she found out I went to the Southside."

"I heard Mickey went to the nurse today," Veronica commented, changing the subject "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he just got little shook up when he heard about our mom was in an accident. He should be fine once he gets some sleep."

"Good. That's good. Archie," Veronica felt a wave of guilt as she glanced at his lips "about what happened-,"

"Ronnie, you don't have to-,"

"Yes, I do. That kiss was my fault," she insisted "I was hurting and vulnerable and I sought comfort from you in a way that I shouldn't have. And if Valerie asks, I am more than willing to take full responsibility."

Archie was amazed. Josie, Melody and Valerie had been a matching set for nearly a decade. Anyone foolish enough to cross one would have to face the wrath of all three of the Pussycats. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I care about you. And my family's caused yours more than enough pain."

The two high schoolers stopped talking as they made their way into the waiting room, where Ethel and her mother were waiting to see the doctor.

"Veronica," Ethel smiled softly at the sight of her friend "What are you doing?"

"We came to see how you were doing. Mrs. Muggs, my name is Veronica Lodge," the New York native greeted timidly "I'm-,"

"Hiram Lodge's daughter," the fretting mother scowled "How dare you show your face here."

Archie's blood started to simmer as Veronica lowered her head shamefully "Whatever Veronica's father has done, it has nothing to do-,"

"What her father has done is rob us of nearly everything we own. My husband felt so helpless that he tried to _take his own life._ Please, just go," Mrs. Muggs begged through a wall of tears "both of you. Haven't your families done enough?"

"Our families?"

"Archie, your mom's the one who found out Hiram Lodge was embezzling money," Ethel revealed "she's one of the lead prosecutors on his case. Mickey's been recruiting witnesses for her all over town."

Archie's head hadn't spun this much since the time Moose sacked him during practice. "I didn't know. Ronnie," the varsity quarterback turned his gaze to raven-haired princess, the New York native looking at him as if he were some kind of enemy spy "I swear, I had no idea."

"She actually promised she could get our money back," Mrs. Muggs scoffed. "Filled my husband with false hope. No wonder Hiram had her ran off the road."

Archie was really confused now. "What does Vincero Santiago have to do with Hiram Lodge?"

Veronica's blood turned to ice. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her lungs cried out for air.

"Veronica." Archie quickly caught the raven-haired princess as her knees began to buckle, the flower in her hands slipping through her fingers and and shattering against the cold tile floor "Ronnie, what's wrong?"

" _Tio Cero."_

"Tio, what?"

"Archie," Veronica's voice trembled with sorrow as she revealed "Vincero Santiago is my uncle."

* * *

Mickey found Cheryl standing alone in the snow, draping her faux fur jacket over her shoulders as walked up behind her. "Wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

"Thanks."

So, what were you and your dad arguing about?"

"Nothing."

"Rosie." Mickey's tone made it clear that he wasn't going to let his go.

"I wanted him to buy the Riverdale Zoo. It's old and falling apart. I thought it would be a nice way to expand our business outside of produce. He practically laughed in my face," Cheryl pulled her jacket tighter around her chest. "I'm an embarrassment to him."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. Jason was the golden boy. The perfect son. But me? People hate me, Mickey," Cheryl admitted sadly "and at school, that's fine. But this is my family."

"Forget them, Rosie." Mickey told her gently "Forget what they think. I think you're awesome. You're smart, you're strong, you've got one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. And those are just some of reasons why I love you. And if you want that zoo so bad, someday I'll buy it for you."

"Oh, Teddy." Cheryl blushed at her boyfriend's grand promise, knowing full well he meant to keep it "Sometimes I think you might be only decent person left in Riverdale."

Now it was Mickey's turn to blush.

"The only one who doesn't want anything from me. Or tries to make me apologize for who I am, or what I want. That's why I love you." Cheryl's heart skipped a beat as she wrapped an arm around Mickey's neck, pulling him into a slow, passionate kiss.

Mickey's heart raced as he returned the gesture, seeing stars as he slipped his arms around he waist. God, he loved her. More than anything in the world. The blue-eyed twin suppressed a groan as his he went off in his pocket, forcing him to pull away as he answered it.

"It's my brother."

"You better take it," Cheryl suggested "It could be about your mother."

"Alright. I'll be back inside in a minute. Rosie," Mickey looked over his shoulder as she stood by the banquet door "I love you too."

Cheryl's eyes sparkled as she went back inside, while Mickey brought the phone to his ear. "This better be good, Archie-Boy."

 _"Did you know that Mom's trying to convict Hiram Lodge?"_

Mickey frowned as he noticed the anger in his brother's voice "Yeah. I was there when she got the anonymous tip that he was embezzling money."

 _"Why didn't you tell me?"_

"Because I thought Mom had told you," Mickey answered "She told me you guys were talking again."

 _"About music. About Grandpa Theo and school. She never told me she was told me she was trying to lock up Veronica's father. Or that she made you into her errand boy to get Mr. Muggs to testify.,"_ Archie added.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight: Mom never made me do anything," Mickey corrected strongly "I overheard Mr. Muggs talking to Pop about his money problems and when I found out that he had invested in Lodge stock, I put him in touch with Mom. When Mr. Muggs mentioned that Hiram hustled a bunch of guys out of their money at the last reunion, I decided to track them down."

 _"Why?"_

"To protect Dad!" Mickey snapped "Archie, Hermione is Hiram's wife. If he gets out and finds out about her and Dad-,"

 _"He already knows about her and Dad!"_ Archie shouted. _"Veronica told him everything the night of the Variety show. That's why Hiram sent the thugs that beat up Moose."_

"Oh, God."

 _"It gets worse. You know that guy who caused Mom's accident? Vincero Santiago? He's Hermione's brother."_

Mickey's heart stopped beating. His stomach fell to his ankles. This was all his fault. He was so worried about what Hiram was capable of, he completely underestimated Hermione. He though she was nothing more than a mobster's trophy wife, with no real power or influence in the criminal underworld. But he was all wrong. Hermoine was no trophy, she was Hiram's queen, the brother of a Chicago drug lord, and her husband's direct line to the Mexican drug trade. And like a fool, he threatened her right to her face. And now Mary was paying for it.

 _"Mickey,"_ Archie's voice became increasingly worried as he brother stayed silent _"What are we going to do?"_

* * *

Mickey walked back into the banquet hall in a daze, the whole world spinning as he fought to keep from passing out.

"Mickey." Polly was the first to spot him as he came in, her best friend looking into the distance as if he'd seen a ghost. "Mickey, what's wrong? _Mickey._ "

"Polly," The blue-eyed spoke in a hollow, terrified voice "Polly, I made a big mistake. I tried to protect my dad and now my mom's-," Mickey's voice trailed off as he spotted Clifford on the other end of the banquet hall, the richest man in Riverdale.

"Mickey. Mickey," Polly repeated "what happened to your mom?"

But he didn't answer. Instead, Mickey walked straight past her and over to Clifford. He was their only hope. He had money, connections, resources. The Lodges had declared war on the Andrews and they were helpless outgunned. "Mr. Blossom? I'm ready to accept your offer."

* * *

Cheryl sat with Nana Rose as they enjoyed their desert, the elderly woman giving her granddaughter a warm smile "You did wonderful yesterday, I'm so very proud of you."

"Thank you, Nana."

"And that boyfriend of yours," Nana Rose giggled "He is something."

"Yes," Cheryl smiled as Mickey's face appeared in her mind "he sure is."

As two Blossom women shared Polly walked over with a hand under her stomach, a worried expression on her face. "Cheryl, you need to talk to Mickey. I don't know what's going on, but I think something's wrong with him."

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Polly repeated "he came inside talking about a mistake and his mom, the next thing I know he took off."

"His mother?" Cheryl was really getting worried now "Polly, Mickey's mother was in a car accident this morning."

"Oh my God. Is she alright?"

"She was the last time Mickey talked to her. But that was hours ago," Cheryl felt a nervous pit form in her stomach. Mickey passed out at the revelation that Mary was in a car accident. If anything else had happened to her... "Polly, we need to find Mickey. Now."

The two teenage girls quickly searched the ballroom, looking for any sign of Mickey, when Cheryl was pulled into an empty corner of the hall. "Mommy?"

Penelope Blossom wore a dark red evening gown with long, black gloves, her cold, dark eyes glassy and dazed. "You must feel so smug," she slurred, the smell of alcohol on her breath making Cheryl's blood turn to ice "Convincing everyone that you can actually run the company."

"Mommy," Cheryl's pounded against her chest as Penelope tightened her grip on her wrist "You're hurting me."

"If only they knew what an absolute failure you are."

"I have to find Mickey."

"What for?" Penelope scoffed "He's probably long gone by now. He got what wanted."

"You're wrong." Cheryl felt her free ball into a fist, remembering all she learned with Midge "Mickey wouldn't do that to me. He loves me."

"Loves you? You think that boy _loves_ you?" Penelope laughed "Please. How could anyone love a pathetic little thing like you?"

"Mickey _does_ love me."

"Don't talk back to me!" Penelope hissed "the only reason that boy gives you the time of day is so your father will stop interfering with the SoDale project."

"What are you talking about?"

"Am I speaking to fast for you, you little fool?" Penelope asked "Your father. Bought out. Fred Andrews' crew."

Cheryl's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's why that boy spends times with you. Not because he loves," Penelope scoffed "you are nothing more than a means to an end. Mark my words."

Cheryl as Penelope finally let go of her wrist, her mind racing with doubt and uncertainty as her heart raced She was lying. Penelope had to be lying. Mickey loved Cheryl, she knew that. Penelope had to be lying. But as she reunited with Polly and continued to look for Mickey, a single question kept echoed over and over in her head: What if she wasn't?

* * *

Clifford Blossom stood with Mickey in one of the offices on the top floor of the banquet hall, the blue-eyed twin pacing back and forth like a caged bear desperate to break free. "Micheal, as pleased as I am to know you're ready to do business, the suddenness of your decision concerns me."

"Do you want you family's land back or not!?" Mickey snapped, instantly regretting it "Sorry."

"It's alright. It's alright," Clifford assured him "So, what kind of figure did you have in mind?"

"We can talk price later. Right now there's one thing I need from before Andrews Construction," Mickey stipulated.

"Name it."

"Protection. You've had a private army standing guard at Thornhill ever since Jason died. I need you to put a security detail on my family."

"To protect you what?"

"Hiram Lodge. He's the one who bought Drive-In," Mickey revealed "He's the one behind SoDale."

"Hiram?" Clifford's expression made it clear that he was surprised but not amazed "How did he manage that?"

"I don't know. All I know is that Hermione's handling the details," Mickey told him "He wants my father dead, Mr. Blossom."

"He's seeing Hermoine isn't he? I can't say I'm surpised," Clifford admitted "That woman has wrapping men around her finger for as long as I can remember. Especially your father. Your mother was the only who break who could break the spell Hermione had on him. With her gone, it was only a matter of time before your father fell back in her clutches. The Lodges are very dangerous people, Micheal."

"You're telling me? My mother's one of the top prosecutors on his case. I threatened her Mr. Blossom," Mickey confessed shamefully "I looked Hermoine Lodge right in eye and I threatened her."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't know her brother was Vincero Santiago! He went after my mother, Mr. Blossom. My _mother._ "

"Vincero and Hiram have been as thick as thieves since we were your age. No one was more excited at Hermione's marriage to Hiram. Because on that day, Vincero's best friend became his brother. Micheal, I am more than willing to provide security for your family."

"Mr. Blossom, thank you." Mickey felt he was finally able to breathe "But are you sure you want to do this? Like you said, the Lodges are dangerous."

"Oh, I am well aware of what Hiram Lodge is capable of," Clifford assured him "Who do you think told Mary that he was embezzling money?"

Mickey's head spun like a top. "You're the anonymous caller?"

Clifford nodded. "This isn't the Hiram and I have been on opposite side of a business venture. When I learned that not all of his investments were legitimate, I decided to call the one lawyer I knew with the morality and the motive to see Hiram put behind bars."

"So you put my mother in the crosshairs of a mobster?" Mickey snarled "With his drug lord brother-in-law in her backyard?"

"Your mother had Vincero dead to rights when I told her about Hiram. I assumed the Chicago District Attorney would convict him first. That was my mistake. One that I plan to correct. Now, I will send a security team to protect your family," Clifford promised "I will pay Andrews Construction handsomely to build my new maple factory. There is just one thing I need from you."

"Name it."

"Proof. Evidence," Clifford repeated "If Hiram really did purchase the Drive-In, then there's a good chance than that not every move he made was above board. I need evidence of that misstep so that I can claim the Drive-In land for myself. Can you find that for me?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

Polly and Cheryl walked side by side as they made their way upstairs, still searching for any sign of Mickey Andrews.

"Cheryl, are you alright? You seem worried." Polly noticed.

"I'm fine," she lied, still reeling from Penelope's questionable revelation "Let's just find Mickey. Are you sure he came up here?"

"I think so. I saw him go this way towards the stairs. I still can't believe Mickey's mom was in a car accident," Polly said with a gasp "what happened?"

"She was driving to work when some cookie-cutter thug hit slammed into her car with his SUV," Cheryl recapped "apparently he's low-level grunt some drug lord Mrs. Andrews tried to put away over the summer. Polly, Mickey collapsed when he heard about Mary's accident. If he found out something else happened to her...,"

"Hey," Polly reached over and took her hand "I'm sure he's okay. Now let's find him."

The two young every room one by one, stopping only when they found who they were looking for: Mickey Andrews, shaking hands with Clifford Blossom.

Cheryl's stomach twisted up in knots. Her blood ran cold. Her heart started to crack.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Polly asked.

Cheryl's voice came out as less than a whisper. "Business."

The two redheaded men left the office on separate paths, the blue-eyed twin walking right into Cheryl and Polly. "Rosie." Mickey's face turned pale as a ghost "What are you, what are you two doing up here?"

"Looking for you," Polly answered "You seemed upset when you came back inside and Cheryl told me what happened to your mom. Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Mickey assured her "I just, got some bad news from Archie."

"What were you and my father talking about?" Cheryl asked.

Mickey's throat clamped up like a vice. "He, uh, he offered me a job. He wants Andrews Construction to build a new maple factory here in town."

"Since when?"

"Since today. He told me about during the tuxedo fitting." Mickey frowned at the badgering tone in her voice "Rosie, what's wrong?"

"Did you know that my father bought out your original crew for the SoDale project?" Cheryl's eyes swelled with tears at the look on Mickey's face "Why din't you tell me?"

"I was going to. I was going to tell you tomorrow at breakfast. Rosie, you have to believe me."

But she didn't. Mickey asked Cheryl out the same week Andrews Construction made a pitch for the Drive-In land. He asked her to spend the night after Clifford bought out his crew. And now here he was, on the most important night of her life, making a deal with her father behind her back. "My mother was right."

"Your mother?" Mickey's eyes widened as he realized what was going on "Rosie, whatever she said to you, she's lying."

"I thought you loved me."

"I do love you," Mickey insisted "I swear I love you. Rosie please, if you just let me explain-,"

"Don't!" Cheryl snatched her hand back as Mickey reached out to her, a river of tears streaming down her cheeks as her heart began to break. "I thought cared about me. I thought you loved me. But all this time, you were using me to get my family's money."

"That's not true."

"Stop _lying!_ " Cheryl shouted, chocking back a sob "Get out."

"Rosie,"

"I said _get out!"_ Cheryl shouted, slamming him into the wall "I never want to see you again."

Mickey felt as if his heart had been ripped out his chest and stepped on. "Rosie. Rosie!"

"Mickey, don't!" Polly slammed both hands on his chest he attempted to chase after Cheryl, forcing her best friend to stay where he was. "Look trust me when I tell you this, chasing after her is not the best thing to do right now."

"She's wrong, Polly. Whatever her mom told her, it's _wrong."_

Polly's eyes softened as she saw the heartbroken look on his "I believe you."

Mickey's face turned red as he squeezed his eyes shut, a single tear falling down his cheek. "I love her."

"I know." Polly quickly pulled Mickey into her arms, rocking him back and forth as she cradled his head. "I know you do."

* * *

Archie walked into Pop's late into the evening, dusting the snow off the shoulders of this varsity jacket as he spotted Valerie alone in a booth, wearing a grey parka and a black t-shirt. "Hey," the brown-eyed twin smiled as he slid into the booth next her, a krinkle forming between his eyebrows as noticed redden puffiness in his girlfriend's eyes "Val, what's wrong?"

Valerie was silent for a moment, her gaze locked on empty table as she spoke in a hollow voice. "I know you kissed Veronica."

Archie felt sick to his stomach.

"Cheryl told me," Valerie said with a sniffle "She saw you. She saw you right before Mickey passed out."

Archie couldn't be mad at his brother for not giving him a head's up. After hearing that voicemail from Marcus, the poor guy probably couldn't see straight. "I swear I was going to tell you."

"When?" Valerie asked with a scoff "When I caught you two in bed together? Archie, you chased after her in the middle of our conversation."

"It wasn't like that. Veronica got some bad news on her father's case. I went after her to make sure she was okay, and found her crying on the floor."

"So you kissed her?"

Archie lowered his head at the pain in her voice, his insides twisting up like a pretzel as Veronica's words echoed in his mind: _I'm willing to take full_ _responsibility_. "Val, Ronnie and I both messed up. She was the one that started the kiss, but I'm the one that let it happen. I should've backed away, I should've said stop. But I didn't. I hurt you," admitted disgracefully "and I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Valerie sighed looking at him with crushed "Sorry that I ever thought I could ever compete with Veronica Lodge."

"Compete with-? Valerie," Archie jumped out of his seat as she headed for the door, chasing after her and as he tried to take her hand "Valerie, nobody's competing with anybody."

"Try telling that to the rest of the school! Cheryl and her cheerleaders have been running around convincing everyone that _I'm_ the other woman. That you and Veronica only stayed apart so your parents could be together. Do you have any idea what it feels like to have the world think that you're somebody's second choice?" she asked in a quivering voice.

"Val, I don't know what Cheryl's up to. And I'm not going to lie and say I didn't Veronica when she first moved to Riverdale," Archie added "But I chose you. I could've chosen any girl after the Variety Show. I could've chosen Veronica. But I chose you."

"Yeah, you did. After your dad started seeing Hermione. Just tell me one thing Archie," she requested "If you could go back to the beginning of the school year, who would you choose: Veronica or me?"

Archie became deadly silent as he remembered the first time he saw the raven-haired princess: How the world faded away around her. How she walked so gracefully like she was walking on air. How her voice was like the sweetest song he had ever heard.

"That's what I thought," Valerie felt her eyes fill with tears at the look on his face "I hope you two are really happy together."

* * *

Veronica Lodge had been to Saint Christine's many times since moving to Rivderale. As the only Catholic church in town, it was practically inevitable that she and Hermione would spend their Sunday mornings in the small yet beautifully decorated chapel. They were even talking about having Veronica's confirmation here. She just never expected to be here in the middle of the night.

The New York native walked alone into the empty chapel, wearing an all black outfit consisting of a long-sleeved shirt, leggings, a fur jacket and heels, her eyes widening slightly when she spotted her best friend, the blonde-haired girl wearing a soft pink pea coat, light wash jeans, pink sneakers and earmuffs. "B? What are you doing here?"

"Mickey asked me to meet him here. He it was important and that he needed to talk."

"Same. Did he happened to mention why he wanted to meet in a house of God?"

"Figured this was the one place you'd be least likely to kill me." The blue-eyed twin walked out of the shadows as he spoke, the first two buttons on his of his shirt undone and his tie in his pocket, looking utterly heartbroken.

"Mickey," Betty quickly became concerned when she saw his face "What's wrong?"

Mickey felt as if a knife were being twisted in his stomach. "Cheryl dumped me."

"What? Why?"

"Uh-uh. I don't want to talk about it. Just admitting that it happened hurts too much. Look, I've got some good news and bad news for you two. Good news, your sister didn't choose the Blossoms over you," Mickey told Betty "She's spying on the Cheryl's parents. She thinks they might have something to do with Jason's death."

Betty's eyes widened. "Why would Jason's parents want to kill him?"

"I don't know. But I did convince her to call you tomorrow."

Betty gave her neighbor a small smile. "Thanks Mickey."

"No problem. Now can you stand between me and New York so she won't kill me when I give her the bad news?"

Veronica felt her stomach twist up knots at the look on Mickey's face. "This is about my father, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Could it be how your mother is the one trying to put him away?"

Mickey's face turned pale. "You know about that?"

Veronica nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you needed a friend. And so did I. But that's not what I wanted to tell you." Mickey felt a nervous pit form in the middle of his stomach. "Veronica, Clifford Blossom is the one who got your father arrested," he revealed "he looked me in the eye and told me himself."

"What?" Veronica's head felt like it was on _The Cyclone_ and Coney Island. "Why, why would he do that?"

"I don't know. All I know is that he called my mom, told her that Hiram was embezzling money, and where to find the proof. Veronica, I know how much you love your dad. I know that you want him to come home. But he is dangerous," Mickey insisted gently "he sent thugs to attack the SoDale because he found out about our parents' affair. He bought the Drive-In land from behind bars and made a deal with the Southside Serpents. He had my mother forced off the road for getting to close to a conviction," he added with a hint of anger "Something tells me he's not kind of guy to let people get the better at him."

Veronica felt a chill run down her back. "What are you saying?"

Mickey felt his throat turn as dry as a desert. "I think your father had Jason Blossom killed."


	10. Chapter 10: The Long Weekend

_Well, you only need the life when it's burning low_

 _Only hate the road when you're missing home_

 _Only know you love her when you let her go_

Mickey and Archie Andrews sat solemnly in their room in the middle of a Thursday afternoon, throwing Archie's football back and forth from their beds while sad music played from Mickey's phone, the two of them looking utterly heartbroken.

"Dude." Reggie Mantle's eyes widened as he walked into the room with Jughead by his side, the varsity football captain feeling as if he'd taken a wrong turn and ended up at someone's funeral. "You were right to call me, Jones. How long have they been like this?"

"Since Saturday," he answered, "Hasn't gotten any better."

"Alright you two." Reggie stepped between the brothers' as they threw the football once again, catching it effortlessly in his hands "Get up. I am declaring an emergency guy's night out."

Mickey grunted. "No thanks."

"Guys, we appreciate what you're trying to do," Archie acknowledged "but we're really not up for it."

"Not even for these?"

Archie's eyes widened as Reggie pulled out a series of movie tickets from his pocket, the varsity quarterback jumping up to the edge of his bed. "Are these what I think they are?"

"Tickets to _Thor Ragnarok_?" Reggie confirmed with a smile "You know it."

"Dude!" Archie jumped up from his bed, his face lighting up like a little kid "This thing has been sold out for weeks."

"I know. I pre-ordered these a month ago. Well, what are we waiting for?" Reggie asked "Let's go."

"No thanks."

All eyes turned to Mickey Andrews as he spoke in a hollow voice, the blue-eyed twin leaning back against the corner.

Reggie blinked. "Did he just say no to a _Thor_ movie?"

"Mick," Archie gave his brother a sympathetic look "I know that you're upset about Cheryl."

Mickey felt the pain in his heart flare up at the mention of his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend. "She hates me, guys. I love her and she hates me."

"Which is why you need to come to the movies with us," Reggie insisted "Come on, bro. It'll be like old times."

It didn't take a genius to see that Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones were as different as night and day. Marvel movies and the Andrews brothers were the only things the two of them could ever agree on.

Mickey looked at the pleading smile on their faces and sighed. "Okay."

Reggie let out an excited shout. "That's what I'm talking about!"

* * *

Fred Andrews sat at his desk in his office, over a stack of paperwork as Hermione brought over another file of papers, the small business owner keeping his eyes locked on his work as she walked over.

"Here at the invoices for the lumber orders."

"Thanks." Fred frowned as he felt her hand linger on his arm "Stop it."

"Now Fred," Hermione gave the single father an alluring smile "Just because I'm your boss doesn't mean we have to be so…appropriate."

"You fooled me twice before. You're not doing it again."

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." Hermione lips formed a seductive pout as she asked, "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"For starters, stop touching me." Fred finally looked up from his work as someone walked into the trailer, a suspicious look forming across his face "Cliff. What are you doing here?"

"Why, I came to see you, Fred. Hermione." The scarlet-haired man's face lost its pleasant smile as he noticed the raven-haired mother "I didn't expect to see you here. Anyhow Fred, I heard you going out of town for a few days and I just wanted to drop these off before you left."

Fred frowned as Clifford handed him yellow folder from his briefcase. "What's this?"

"A contractual agreement. For Andrews Construction to build the new Blossom Maple Factory. I know you let your son handle the negotiations, but I wanted to make sure everything was satisfactory with you first." Clifford tilted his head at the confused look on Fred's face. "He didn't tell you about this, did he?"

"No. He didn't."

"Well then," Clifford let out a low chuckle as he confessed "Your son's an even shrewder negotiator than I thought."

"You and me both. You mind telling me where exactly this factory's going to go?" Fred asked, "and why it requires giving my family bodyguards?"

"Right here in Riverdale of course," Clifford gave Hermione a cunning smile as he added "Right where we're standing."

Fred looked up from the paperwork as he raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that going to be a little difficult, since you don't own the land?"

"Oh, I will," Clifford confirmed "Once I prove that the land was procured by criminals."

Hermione felt a chill run down her spine. Mickey had told him the Lodges bought SoDale.

"I must admit Fred, I'm surprised you can stand to be in the same woman with this woman," Clifford commented "especially since she had the mother of your children run off the road."

The former Army Ranger felt his jaw clench up at the patronizing tone in his voice. "Cliff, I don't know what you and my son discussed, but Mickey was in no position to make any deal with you."

Clifford sighed as Fred handed him back the folder. "Our families have been friends for years, Fred. We were friends at Mickey's age."

"Claudius was my friend," Fred corrected "You never were."

The Blossom patriarch felt a nervous chill run down his spine at the mention of his brother's name. "You still think I'm responsible."

"I know you are," Fred snarled, jumping out of his seat "Claudius was terrified of you. You wanted the family business all to yourself and he was in your way. So you got rid of him."

"Claudius ran away."

"You _murdered_ your own brother." Fred's eyes blazed with a long-buried fury "Your own flesh and blood. I don't know you did it, but you did. Now I may not trust the owner of this land," he confessed "but I trust you even less. Now," Fred's final words acted as both a demand a threat "Get out of my office."

* * *

"That was awesome!" Mickey let out a joyful shout as he led Archie, Reggie and Jughead up the porch to the front door of his house, a massive grin on the blue-eyed twin's face. "That was the best _Thor_ movie I have ever seen."

"Did you see the fight scene on the Bifrost bridge?" Reggie asked "This was so sick! Thanos is so dead when _Infinity War_ comes out."

Mickey looked back at his best friends and smiled. "Thanks, guys. I really needed this tonight."

As the teenage boys walked in the house, they found Fred Andrews sitting alone in the kitchen sipping on a beer, a less than happy look on his face. Fred locked eyes with his blue-eyed son he took another sip. "We need to talk."

Taking note of the serious tone in his father's voice, Mickey silently stepped into the kitchen while Archie led their friends into the living room.

"Did you make a deal with Clifford Blossom over the weekend?" Fred asked.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"Let's see. We need the money. You decided to drop the SoDale project," Mickey listed off "We have next to no money and Clifford Blossom is willing to pay double what the Lodges are paying."

"You made a business deal behind my back!" Fred snapped as his blood began to boil.

"You've been going behind my back since day one!" Mickey shouted "You hire the wife of a mobster to run our books, you let FP and his Southside Serpents thugs to be our crew, you drop the project we need to make ends meet, and you didn't tell me ANYTHING!"

Fred felt a twinge of guilt at the tone in his son's voice. "Mick, we cannot take that deal."

"Why not?"

"Because I l already made a deal with Hermione. She offered us twenty percent ownership if we stayed on the project."

Mickey's eye raged like a thunderstorm. "She had my mother RAN OFF THE ROAD!"

"I know!" Fred shouted back "You're not the only one worried about your mother."

"You act like he doesn't exist! You haven't talked to her since she got the Doileies to drop the charges. I can't remember the last time you said her name. The only reason you're going to Chicago is so you can finish the divorce and be done with her."

"Mickey-,"

" _What?_ " The blue-eyed twin gave his father a challenging look "Tell me I'm wrong."

Fred said nothing, a swirl of confused emotions raging in his stomach.

"That's what I thought." Mickey said with a scoff "If you honestly believe that you're better off that skank Hermione, then you never deserved Mom in the first place."

Before Fred could even utter a thought, Mickey turned around and marched out the back door, slamming the door behind him.

"Dad?"

Fred felt a knot form in his stomach as he heard Archie's voice, the brown-eyed twin standing in the doorway.

"Are you really going to leave Mom for Hermione?"

"Son," Fred gave the brown-eyed twin a soft, comforting look "I ended things with Hermione the second I found out that the Lodges owned SoDale."

"Then why are you going to Chicago alone?" Archie and Mickey had been begging Fred to take them to see Mary for days, and then suddenly out of the blue, their father announced that he was going to the Windy City by himself.

Fred stayed silent for a moment, his stomach twisting up in knots as he took a final sip from his beer. "Sheriff Keller's going to be here to pick me up soon. I need to finish packing." And he headed upstairs without another word.

* * *

Polly found Mickey sitting alone at Pop's later that evening, the blue-eyed twin wearing a leather jacket over a grey hoodie, a barely touched Root Beer float sitting in front of him. "Hey. Sorry it took me so long to get here." Polly frowned at the sullen look on her best friend's face "Mickey, what's wrong?"

The blue-eyed twin kept his gaze locked on his drink. "My parents are getting divorced."

"Oh my God," Polly gasped "Are you sure?"

"Well, my dad's been sneaking around with Hermione Lodge since the second he got to town. And he's going to Chicago to see my mom, which he has never done. Ever," he emphasized "So, yeah. Pretty sure." Mickey clenched his jaw as the gravity of it set in "He probably thinks he going to run off with Hermione."

"Mickey, you don't know that."

"I know that my dad's been wrapped around Hermione's finger since he was our age," he reminded "I know that she's been using him to rebuild her husband's business." Mickey became silent as his free hand balled into a fist, finally noticing the paper bag sitting next to Polly. "What's that for?"

"When Cheryl found out I was coming to see you, she wanted me to give you these."

Mickey furrowed his brow as took the bag, his heart twisting up knots as he recognized the contents: the teddy bear he'd given Cheryl at Jason's funeral, the yellow pajamas she wore when she spent the night, and the key he'd given her in case she needed a place to hide from Penelope.

Mickey felt his throat clench up as he rolled the key across his fingers, his pale blue eyes stinging sharply as he blinked rapidly.

Polly gave her best friend a sympathetic look, knowing all too well the pain he was in. She had felt the same when Jason's parents forced him to leave her. And now, with him dead that pain had been intensified a hundred-fold.

After a moment of silence, Mickey finally spoke in a wavering voice. "I am not my dad Polly. He may be willing to let the love of his life go, but not me. I'm getting Cheryl back."

* * *

Fred sat with Tom Keller in the passenger seat of the sheriff's truck, the small business owner grabbing his luggage from the back seat. "Thanks for dropping me off, Tom."

"Don't mention it. By the way, I got that other thing you asked for." The sheriff reached into his glove box and pulled out small slip of paper. "You mind telling me why you needed your gun permit renewed for a trip to Chicago?"

Fred clenched his jaw as he slipped the permit into his jacket pocket, the gun in his bag becoming heavy as he hefted his bag into his lap. "You remember how I told you Mary was in car accident? Turns out the guy that hit her works with Vincero Santiago."

Tom's eyes widened. "Hermione's brother Vincero?"

Fred nodded. "Mary was tried to lock him up during the summer. And now she's going after Hiram."

"You don't think what happened to Mary was an accident, do you?"

"No. I don't." Fred hefted his bag over his shoulder as he stepped out of the truck as Tom asked.

"Since you're headed to Mary's neck of the woods, any chance of the two of you patching things up?"

Fred sighed. "Why is everyone so obsessed with my love life?"

* * *

Life at Riverdale High was different after Mickey and Archie's breakups to say the least. For one thing, everyone was talking about it. As the first source of normal teenage gossip since the death of Jason Blossom, every student in town had an opinion on each of the Andrews brothers' break-ups.

"Archie."

The brown-eyed twin looked up from his locker at the sound of Veronica's voice, an awkward look quickly spreading across his face as he saw her walking towards him"Hi."

"Hi." She repeated. "How are you?"

"Fine, I guess." Archie felt the nervous feeling in his stomach start to grow as he noticed the students in the hall starting to stare, no doubt imaging all the scandalous things they could be saying to each other.

Veronica took notice and rolled her eyes. "Ignore them. They're the least of our worries. I need your help. Thanks to your brother, I have spent the past week questioning whether or not my father had Jason Blossom killed."

Archie's mind did a double take on the last one. "Why would your dad want to kill Jason?"

"Revenge. Archie, Clifford Blossom is your mother's anonymous source," Veronica revealed "I did some digging over the weekend, and apparently Cheryl's father has been paying Lodge Industries five hundred thousand dollars every month for over ten years."

"Five-?" Archie's eyes widened as he tried to process it. To get five hundred grand even once in his life would be like winning the lottery to him. "Why so much?"

"I don't know. All I know is that the Blossoms stopped paying after my father was arrested. And before that, they were making similar payments to my distant cousins, the Casettas. They immigrated here during the early days of Riverdale. But they all died out before I was born. I was hoping you could me find out more about them?" Veronica requested "Betty said something about you being a mini-historian?"

"You can thank Grandpa Artie for that. He could make any story sound exciting. Even one from a history book." Archie's face shifted into a brief smile, fondly remembering his late grandfather "I don't know much about the Casettas, but I know someone who might."

* * *

"Well, well, well." Reggie Mantle gave his best charismatic smile as he walked over Josie McCoy in the before class, the varsity football captain wearing his varsity jacket, a black t-shirt, and Nike high-top sneakers. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"Reggie." Two weeks ago, a line like that would've made Josie roll her eyes. But now…it still made her roll her eyes. But it also brought a smile to her face. "This is my locker."

"Oh, I know. I just wanted to act classy." The leader of the Bulldogs leaned in close to Mayor's daughter, only for her to turn her head to the side as he attempted to kiss her. Again. "You weren't kidding when you said I'd work for it." Reggie felt a small lump form in his throat as he asked "You still think I'm gong to take off and break your heart?"

"Isn't that what you do? Love them and leave them?"

"Not you," Reggie disputed in a serious, sincere tone "never you. You know what I think? I think you're afraid to kiss me," he theorized "because if you do, you're going to fall for me the way I'm falling for you."

Josie felt her cheeks grow hot. God help her, he was right. She was falling for him. Ever since they had started talking, he hadn't even looked at another. And during the few moments they were together, he made her feel like the only girl in the world. But she certainly wasn't going to tell him that. The leader of the Pussycats gave him a teasing smile as she pressed a finger to his chest, pushing him away ever so slightly. "Maybe I just like watching beg," she whispered in a low husky voice "ever think of that, Tiger?"

Reggie grinned. "I love it when you call me Tiger."

"I know."

"Rosie, will you please just listen to me?"

Reggie and Josie looked away from each other as they spotted Mickey chasing Cheryl down the halls, the blue-eyed twin wearing his field jacket, a white Henley shirt, and black jeans and sneakers, the leader of the Rivervixens, wearing a fuzzy black sweater, a tight red skirt, black leggings and matching boots.

"Not a chance, Andrews. I'm done listening to your lies."

"I didn't lie. Yes, I knew your dad was messing with my family's business. Yes, I tired to make a deal with during the Maple Banquent," he confessed "but I swear, I was going to tell you everything the next day. Rosie, please." Mickey reached out and took Cheryl's hand, forcing her to turn around and look her in the face as he said the words "I love you."

Cheryl felt her heart twist up in knots as she looked into his eyes, the pale blue irises pleading with her to listen to him. "You fooled me once. You're not doing it again."

"Rosie. Rosie!" Mickey called, only for her to walk away without looking back. The blue-eyed twin growled as he slammed his palm against the wall, causing the nearby classmates to jump and stare. "What are you looking at?"

Reggie sighed as he watched his best friend lean his back against the wall, a defeated look on his face. "I'll be right back, Josie." The leader of the Riverdale Bulldogs walked across the hall to Mickey's side, giving him a sympathetic expression. "You okay, bro?"

"She won't even look at me, Reg. How am I supposed to get her to believe me if she won't even look at me?"

The varsity football captain placed a brotherly arm on his best friend's shoulder. "Let me keep working my Mantle magic on Josie. If I can get her to go to bat for you, maybe I can find a way to get you out of Cheryl's doghouse."

"Thanks."

"Just give her some space until then?" Reggie requested "From what I hear, your girl's on the warpath."

Mickey sighed as he watched Reggie walk down the hall, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was definitely not his day.

"Mick."

The blue-eyed twin looked up as his brother walked over, with Veronica Lodge by his side. "Hey."

"Hey," Archie repeated "We need your help. You wrote a piece on the history of Riverdale for the school paper, right?"

"Yeah?"

"When you were researching, did find anything on a family named the Casettas?"

"The Casettas?" Mickey felt an icy chill run down his spine. "Why do you want to know about them?"

"They're my relatives," Veronica answered "My grandfather Americanized our last name when he moved to America. Casetta is the Italian word for-,"

"Lodge." Mickey looked sick to his stomach. "That's what Dad meant."

"Mickey," Archie gave his brother a worried look "what are talking about?"

"Remember when Dad told us how Great-grandpa Flynn Andrews was the sheriff when Old man Cooper was murdered? Well, I talked to Kevin and he found Pap's files for me at the sheriff's archives," he began "Dad told us that a Lodge was in charge of the labor union at the Blossom-Cooper maple factory, but couldn't find anything about any Lodges living in Riverdale until Hiram and his mother moved here in the eighties. Turns out I was looking for the wrong translation. The union leader at the factory was a guy named Antonio Casetta Jr," Mickey revealed "and his dad, Antonio Sr., used to live in New York. Where he was a suspected loan shark for Charles Luciano."

Veronica's eyes widened. "Lucky Luciano? One of the biggest mobsters of all time?"

Mickey nodded. "Antonio Sr. tried to get into the gambling business during the beginning of Las Vegas. But since he didn't have the rep to get a seat at the table, he ran bunch of illegal poker games across the east coast. One of them was right here in Riverdale. After Antonio Jr. started working at the factory, rumor was it that the poker games were being held in the woods where the Blossoms and the Coopers farmed their maple trees.

"That's why the Coopers thought old man Blossom owed the mob," Archie realized.

"That and the fact that he only had five dollars left in his bank account the night old man Cooper was killed. It gets worse," Mickey warned "Guess who was the only witness to old man Blossom killing old man Cooper in self-defense?"

Veronica didn't need to guess. "Antonio Jr."

Mickey nodded. "Once the trial was over, old man Blossom got full control of the company, and full control of the profits. A month after the trial, the Casettas started flashing a lot of cash around town. Said they won it gambling in Vegas."

Veronica felt sick to her stomach. Was everyone in her family secretly a criminal? "Antonio Casetta Sr. was my great-grandfather's brother. They stopped talking after Sr. moved to America. I don't know why. Antonio Jr.'s son, Vito Casetta, reached out the Lodges after my grandfather died, wanting to put an end to the gap between our branches of the family tree. He had my father and _abuelita_ move to Riverdale. Treated Daddy like the son he never had. Vito left him all his worldly possessions, a net worth equal to just under five million dollars."

"Which Hiram used to build Lodge Industries," Mickey assumed.

"Why would the Blossoms keep paying the Casettas after old man Blossom died?" Archie asked "It's not like any of them could get arrested for it."

"Reputation. Cheryl told me that Blossom stock took a major nose dive after Jason died," Mickey told him "If word got out that the company's founder was a cold-blooded killer, it could ruin them."

He wasn't lying. Hiram hadn't even been convicted of any crimes yet, and his entire company, his life's work, was in shambles. In the past ten years, Clifford Blossom had paid Hiram a total of sixty million dollars. That was more than enough reasons to send a man to prison. But what frightened Veronica was the thought that her father would willing order the murder of boy only a year older than her.

* * *

Betty walked sided by side with Archie later that day, the brown-eyed twin speaking in a nervous voice. "So, I'm not sure if you know this or not, but: It's Jughead's birthday tomorrow."

Betty gasped. "What? And he didn't say anything?"

"He likes to keep it low-key. But every year he goes and sees a double feature at the Beejou. It's his one tradition. For the past few years, I've been his movie buddy. But," Archie found himself struggling to say the words "since you're his girlfriend,"

"Of course. I'll take him," Betty agreed "But you can still come with us."

"No," Archie answered quickly, the thought of seeing Betty and Jughead snuggled up together at the movies making his stomach turn. "I don't want to be a third wheel."

"Come on," Betty pleaded with a smile "It'll be like old times."

Archie smiled as he felt her shoulder bump against hers. "Like _The Three Musketeers."_

 _"_ Actually, there were four musketeers Arch," Betty corrected "Please come with us. I feel like I've hardly seen you these past two weeks."

"That's kind of the idea."

Betty frowned. "What do you mean?"

Archie paused for a moment, tentatively trying to find the right words. "Betty, you and I have always been close. We've been best friends since the day we met. But there have been times where we thought about being more than friends," he reminded "Jughead knows that. And I think it bothers him. He seemed pretty upset when he found out he wasn't the first to know your parents had separated.

"That's ridiculous. I tried to call Jughead," Betty reminded "He shut his phone off."

"I know. And I'm not saying he's right," Archie added "I'm just telling you how he felt. And honestly, if I can't say I blame him."

"Why? It's not like you did anything wrong."

"Betty, I sang you a love song. If you were my girlfriend," Archie stopped himself then, the thought quickly stirring up the feelings he was trying so hard to bury "Bottom line, you two are my best friends and you deserve to be happy. I don't want to stand in the way of that."

"Archie," Betty stared at him, the brown-eyed twin speaking less like her best friend and more like an ex-boyfriend who had trying figure out his new place in her life, a nervous question forming her mind. "why did you and Valerie break up?"

Archie winced, remembering the look on the Pussycat's face as she left him alone at Pop's. "She found out I have feelings for someone else."

As the two of them went their separate ways, Betty's heart and mind started race, remembering all the times Archie claimed to love her.

* * *

Fred hated Chicago. Not because of traffic. Or the noise. Or the people. Not one of those hangups had anything on being one of the first US army Rangers in Iraq after 9/11. He hated the city because it haunted him. Every street, every building, reminded landmark him of the six years he lived here with Mary. And thinking of Mary made him think about how their marriage completely fell apart. Why didn't he just call Mary? That would've been so much easier.

 _Because you have to see her,_ a familiar voice said in his head _You need to see her._

He needed to make sure she was okay. That Vincero Santiago would honor Hermione's deal and not go after the mother of Fred's children again. As he made his way through the bustling lawyers and officials at the district attorney's office, Fred couldn't help but remember the day he and Mary first met.

* * *

 _The year was 1984. Fred walked casually through the halls of Riverdale High, the sixteen- year-old boy dressed wearing a varsity jacket over white t-shirt, along with acid wash jeans and high-top sneakers, bopping his head to the Aerosmith songs playing from his Walkman, when he bumped into someone in the halls, a series of papers and books flying through the air. Fred grunted as he fell to the ground, looking up to see a beautiful redhead with short, bouncy curls, wearing a dark blue sweater vest over a white blouse, along with a blue and green plaid skirt, knee high socks and black flats._

 _Fred gasped. "Hi."_

" _I am so sorry." The girl apologized, scrambling to collect her books off the floor "I should've been more careful. Dear God, I am having the worst first day," she proclaimed, "First my alarm went off late because of the time zone change, then I went into autopilot and put on my uniform, and when I realized I didn't have to wear a school uniform anymore, I didn't have time to-,"_

" _Hey. Hey." Fred reached over and took her hand, giving her a comforting smile. "it's okay. Just breathe. Breathe," he repeated, causing her to let out a deep sigh "Better?"_

 _The girl nodded._

" _Good. I'm Fred by the way," he introduced "Fred Andrews. And you are?"_

" _Mary. Mary Grace Collins. And I have no idea why I just said my middle name," she confessed with a nervous laugh "I guess I'm just nervous about starting at new school. My family and I just moved here."_

" _My middle name's Colt." Fred liked this girl. She was shy, but sweet. "So Mary Grace, where you from?"_

" _Chicago," Mary answered "My dad took a teaching job at Carson College while his band works on their next record. I've never been to a school like this before."_

" _One that doesn't include uniforms?"_

" _One with boys." Mary blushed as got up with her books clutched tightly against her chest. "My parents sent me to an all-girls Catholic school. They're super religious."_

" _I know how that is. If I told my old man I didn't want to be an alter boy when I was kid, he probably disown me," Fred confessed with a chuckle. The dark-haired boy tilted his head as he got up from the floor, noticing that the Walkman in his hand wasn't his own. "I think this is yours."_

" _Thanks." Mary smiled as he handed back her music player, her heart skipping a beat as her fingers brushed the back of his hand._

" _So, you're a Journey fan?" Fred observed, noticing the title on the tape in her player._

" _Yeah, they're my favorite band."_

" _Mine's Aerosmith. But I do like to listen to_ _Eye of the Tiger_ _when I'm working out."_

" _My favorite Aerosmith song is_ _Sweet Emotion_ _. So, you're on the football team," Mary presumed, noticed his letter jacket._

 _"Yeah. Running back. Do you like football?"_

 _"Not as much as hockey."_

 _Fred's eyes widened. "You like hockey?"_

 _"Are you kidding?" Mary's eyes lit up as she revealed "my dad and I watch the Blackhawks play all the time."_

 _Fred smiled. Music, sports, faith. He had lot in common with this girl. Certainly more than he had in common with-,"_

" _Freddiekins!"_

 _Fred jumped as he heard a familiar singsong voice call out to him turning around as beautiful brunette in a cheerleader outfit ran over, threw her arms around him and pulled him into a steamy kiss, causing Mary's jaw to drop._

" _There you are. I've been looking all over for you." The brunette gave Mary a suspicious look "Who's your friend?"_

" _This is Mary Collins. She just moved her from Chicago. Mary, this my girlfriend, Hermione Santiago."_

" _Hi."_

 _Hermione gave the redheaded girl a judgmental glance as she noticed her uniform "Nice outfit."_

" _Babe, be nice," Fred gently reprimanded "Do you want to have lunch with us, Mary? We can introduce you to our friends and show you around."_

 _Mary smiled. "I'd love to."_

* * *

He should've left Hermione that very day. But it took a torn ACL and the sight if his girlfriend in the back of Hiram Lodge's car for Fred to realize just how toxic she really was. Mary pieced him back together, both physically and emotionally. She patched up his bruises from the countless fistfights with Hiram; helped him feel again after Hermione's betrayal left him numb.

After taking a left at the next corner, Fred found himself in a room full of bustling lawyers, with his wife standing in the middle with three other coworkers. She wore dark grey pinstripe pantsuit with a soft peach blouse, her eyes widening in absolute shock when she spotted as she saw him, her voice coming out in a stunned gasp. "Fred."

"Hey, Mary Grace."

* * *

Mickey sat with his brother and their friends during lunch, trying to come up with a way to win Cheryl back while Betty spoke.

"Guys, I just talked to Mr. Jones and he said that Jughead's never had a birthday party."

Archie nodded, taking a sip from his water as he asked. "So?"

"So, let's throw him one," Betty excitedly suggested "A low-key suprised party."

Archie shook his head almost instantly "No. No."

But no one listened. "That is a great idea B," Veornica agreed "You know I am always game for a reason to wear a cute party dress."

"No," Archie repeated "Jughead doesn't not like his birthday."

"Everybody says that," Kevin commented "They never mean it."

"Jughead does," Archie insisted firmly "He's like a lone wolf. Mick, help me out here."

The blue-eyed twin blinked at the sound of his name, glancing away from Cheryl as she ate lunch with her friends. "Huh?"

"Mickey, as sweet and romantic as your devotion to win Cheryl back is, you are diving dangerously close to desperate territory," Veronica warned

"Oh my God," Kevin's face turned pale as he looked across cafeteria "Whatever you do, don't turn around."

Against his friend's judgement, Betty glanced over their shoulder, where she saw a face that made her blood boil: Chuck Clayton.

Archie felt his blood turn hot. "I thought he was expelled."

"Nope. Just suspended," Kevin corrected.

"He should've been drawn and quartered," Veronica scoffed.

Betty felt her hands ball into tight fists as she got up from her seat, marching over to Chuck as he sat down next to Ethel Muggs.

"Betts." Mickey's eyes widened as he chased after her, remembering all too well what happened the last time his neighbor was alone with the disgraced football player. "Betts, what are you dong?"

"Get away from her Chuck," she demanded "Right now."

"Chill Betty," Chuck said with a sly smile "We're just talking. No need to get all Dark Betty on me."

"I am _not-!_ "

"Betty, stop." Archie grabbed his best friend by the arm as she lunged at him, her palms slamming on the table with a thud. "Ethel, is he bothering you?" he asked.

"It's okay guys," the shy girl replied honestly "We're fine."

Realizing that there was nothing they could do, Archie gave Chuck a warning glare and sighed. "Come on, Betty. Let's go."

Betty stayed where she was, her nails digging into her palms as a deep darkness spread across her face.

"Betty," Archie repeated, causing his best friend to jump as he slipped his hand in hers. "Let's go."

Betty nodded, following her best friend back to their table as Mickey lingered behind.

The blue-eyed twin placed both hands on the table in front of him as he looked the disgraced football captain in the eye, speaking in a low intense voice. _"You step out of line again, and I will mount your head on my wall."_

"I don't speak Scottish man," Chuck reminded.

Mickey forced a pleasant smile as he spoke in English. "Just welcoming you back to school."

* * *

"It happened again, didn't it?" Archie stood with Betty alone in the halls, looking over the bloodied marks on her palms. "You had another blackout, didn't you?"

Betty nodded, a wave of terror washing over her as she struggled to remember the time she lost. "How long was I out for?"

"Not long. Just a couple seconds," Archie assured her "I thought you said you were taking you medication."

"I have. I've been taking it every day since we found Polly," Betty insisted.

"Then how did this happen?"

"I don't know!" Betty's eyes swelled with tears as her heart started racing, her mind racing with all the gruesome ends the world found out about her unstable mental health.

Archie felt his stomach twist up in knots at the look on his best friend's face. He wished he could tell someone about this. Her parents, his brother, anyone. But he promised Betty his silence, no matter hard it was. "Betty, you need to stay away from Chuck. Whatever going on with you, he's making it worse." He remembered what Mickey said about the night at Ethel's house, and even though he didn't believe the way Mickey described what happened, he certainty didn't want to history to repeat itself. "Are you sure want still want to throw this party?"

"Yes. Yes," Betty repeated nodded her head quickly "I need to distract myself. To keep busy," she emphasized "Please Archie?"

The brown-eyed twin felt his resistance melt away at the pleading look on her face. "Okay. We can have it at my place. Mickey and I will do whatever we can to help. Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

"I promise. Thank you Archie. For everything. I l-," Betty felt her heart stopped as she cut herself off "I really appreciate it."

As the two of them made their way back into the cafeteria, Archie prayed to God that his best friend would be alright.

* * *

"Fred," Mary stared her estranged husband in disbelief "What are you doing here?"

"I," Fred's mind drew a blank. It took all his willpower just to get here, and now that they were face to face, he couldn't think of a word to say "I needed see you."

"Are the boys-?"

"The boys are fine. I left them at home." Fred's throat turned bone dry as he asked "How, how are you? I heard about the accident."

"Fine. A little banged up, but I'm okay." Mary's eyes darted to a stack of papers that a paralegal wanted her to sign "Look Fred, as nice as it is too see you, I'm really busy."

"I need to talk to you Grace," Fred pleaded. "Do you think you could take an early lunch?"

"Doubtful. We're working on a really big case right now."

"This is about the case."

Mary's eyes widened slightly as the look on his face, the dark brown eyes pleading with her to hear him.

"Can we talk? Please? I just want to talk. We can go to lunch at that bar you like," Fred offered "or dinner. If you've already had lunch."

"I have to work lat tonight," Mary told him, the hurt look on his face causing her heart to twist up in pain "But I'm free tomorrow night." Mary kept her gaze locked on her work as Fred gave her a shocked look "Seven o'clock. Don't be late."

* * *

When Fred first announced that he was going to Chicago, two thoughts came to Mickey's mind. The first, the soul crushing confirmation that Hermione Lodge had driven their parents to divorce. The second, he was going to spend the entire weekend drunk.

The blue-eyed twin stood with Reggie in his poolhouse that evening, the two of them sharing a half-empty bottle of Japanese whiskey from Oliver Mantle's twenty first birthday party while they played pool.

"Screw girls," Mickey stated in a slurred voice, a pool que in one hand and the bottle in the other "If she doesn't want to be with me, fine. I don't need her anyway."

"Do you really believe that?" Reggie asked.

"Absolutely not." Mickey sighed as he collapsed on the couch, looking utterly pitiful as he stared up at the ceiling. "What am I going to do, Reg?"

"You're asking me? I'm the master of one night stands. Not serious relationships." The Varsity football captain took the bottle from Mickey's hand took a sip, the liquor burning down his throat as he clenched his jaw. "You know that it's been two weeks since Josie and I started talking, and she still won't let me take her out on a date? The most P.D.A I've gotten is a kiss on the cheek."

"At least she talks to you. At least she doesn't look at you like you're scum. How does Moose do it?" Mickey wondered "He and Midge have been together sine the sixth grade."

"Maybe we should ask him for advice," Reggie chuckled "Offer to do his homework for a couple weeks."

"You know what?" Mickey sat straight up as he came to a drunken realization "This is my dad's fault. If he had just told me about Clifford Blossom in the first place, then Cheryl wouldn't have dumped me and we would be helping you get a date with Josie." The blue-eyed twin felt shoulders tense up as he took the bottle from Reggie and took a drink, the whiskey burning down in his chest and fueling his frustration. "I am so mad at him, Reggie. He has spent the past two months so wrapped up in Hermione's legs and our family's in the crosshairs of a mobster."

"Do you really thing Hiram Lodge is going to come after him if he wins his trial?"

"That hate each other, Reg. They hate each other like the Blossoms hate the Coopers," Mickey emphasized "I found an old copy of the Blue & Gold with my dad knocking Hiram Lodge out on the front page."

Reggie's widened in disbelief. "Fred was the OG Mad Dog?"

"Dad was the OG Mad Dog."

"I thought your Uncle Owen was the hot-headed one."

"Every Andrews is the hot-headed one. Remember Archie at the Serpent bar? If Hiram goes free, he's going to declare war on my family. One we can't win without my Mom." Mickey sighed as he leaned back in his seat, blinking slowly as he struggled to stay awake.

"Bro, you can crash here for the night. My parents won't be home 'till late and neither one of us is sober enough to dr-," Reggie stopped talking as he saw Mickey eyes slip shut, the blue-eyed twin quickly starting to snore.

* * *

After making plans with Mary, Fred had a cab take him down to the docks of Lake Michigan, the marina covered in dock workers loading and unloading a series of large crates. Each one full of drugs no doubt. Fred could see why Vincero got into the drug-running business. Back in high school, he had been close friends with the Ghoulies, Riverdale's most notorious drug dealers. And the long time enemies of the Southside Serpents. As he stepped out of the car and paid the driver, Fred could the eyes of every worker on the dock lock onto him, the former Army Ranger resisting the urge to bring a hand to his weapon.

One of the workers, a young man not that much older than Fred's own sons, walked over and asked. "What you doing her, old man?"

"I'm here to see Vincero?" Fred answered, causing the young man to laugh "Hermione sent me."

Curious, the young drug dealer led the former Army Ranger down to the office trailer on the west side of the dock, where he was patted down and searched as he stood outside the door.

"Well, well well." The young man raised an eyebrow as he found the pistol strapped to his hip. "What do we have here?"

"Colt 45!" All eyes turned a man about Fred's age as he stepped out of the office: a stocky, Hispanic man of average height, sporting a thick, bushy mustache and slicked back salt and pepper hair, dressed in a elegant dark silk suit,a black shirt and matching shoes, his dark trickster eyes gleaming brightly at the sight of Fred Andrews. Vincero Santiago.

Fred's jaw clenched up at the sight of Hermione's brother, his mind racing with the memories of all the scraps and bruises they had given each other during their youth. And the fact that the snake nearly had the mother of his children killed.

"My God," Vincero exclaimed "How long has it been? Twenty years? I don't thinks I've seen you since graduation."

"I don't remember you getting a diploma, Cero" Fred commented, instantly recognizing the desire to tear him apart from the dock workers.

Vincero just laughed. "Funny. You always were a kidder, 45."

"Boss, you know this guy?" the young man asked.

"Oh yeah. Fred Andrews and I go way back," Vincero confirmed, acting as if they had best friends "We went to high school together. He was the star running-back, Colt 45. _Gringo_ could shoot off the line like a bullet from a gun."

"Funny. I thought it was because I could punch like a bullet from a gun," Fred disputed "Remember when you and Hiram tried to jump me behind the school?"

Vincero chuckled again, the look in his eye making it clear that Fred's remarks were getting to me. "Childhood antics. Besides if I recall, you fired the first shot when you gave Hiram a concussion in the middle of school."

"After he stole Hermione from me," Fred reminded "We need to talk."

"Of course, of course. Come, step into my office," Vincero offered.

"Boss. We found this on him," the young man warned, hefting Fred's gun in his hand.

"Let him keep it," Vincero permitted "Fred won't make trouble, will you Fred?"

The former Army Ranger took back in his old service pistol and placed it in his holster, giving the dock workers a warning look. "Long as nobody else makes any." Fred turned around and walked into the office, the space not too much different from his own, the main difference being the bottle of dark rum and gassed sitting on the windowsill and the absence of a coffee pot. Fred's gaze lingered on the photos on Vincero's desk, each one including the Chicago drug lord with in a surprisingly domestic scene with either a beautiful woman with flowing dark hair, or a small boy in a soccer jersey.

"My wife, Angela," Vincero informed, noticing Fred staring "and my son, Sebastian. He's eighteen now. The captain of his varsity soccer team," he added proudly as he poured himself a drink "I heard you were heading my way. let me guess, you came to check little saint Mary?"

Fred blood began to boil at the mention of his estranged wife. "I came here to make sure you understand the deal I made with your sister."

"Of course. You help my brother and sister finish their SoDale project, and I make sure my men stay away from Mary during their off hours. But I warn you, what my men do off the clock is their business

"Vincero," Fred nearly drew his gun and pressed it against the drug lord's head as he growled. "If anything happens to Mary, I will be holding you personally responsible."

Vincero stayed silent as he took a long sip from his drink, his eyes daring his old classmate to make a move. "Hermione told me she gave you twenty percent of the SoDale stock. How's it feel to have a seat at the big kids table?"

"Dirty."

Vincero chuckled. "Says the man who lays who lays brick and pours concrete for a living. No one will hurt Mary, Fred. You have my word."

Fred gave the drug lord a distrusting glare. "I suppose that'll have to do for now."

"I wouldn't get attached to those shares if I were you," Vincero warned, causing Fred to pause as he headed to door "Hiram will want them back when he gets out."

Fred felt his hand attempt to crush the doorknob at the threatening tone in his voice " _If_ Hiram gets out, he is more than welcome to make an offer. But in the end, what I chose to do is my choice and mine alone."

"Great seeing you again 45," Vincero called as Fred marched out "Don't be a stranger!"

* * *

Archie stood alone in his living room the next afternoon, getting the place ready for Jughead's party when Mickey walked in. "Dude, where have you been?"

"Reggie's. We were playing pool and I passed out." The blue-eyed twin winced as Vegas came barking over to him, a dull pulsing at his temples "You hear from Dad?"

"Yeah. He said got to Chicago safe and that he and Mom are going to talk over dinner tonight," Archie informed.

Out of nowhere Mickey slammed his palm against the wall, causing Archie to jump.

"Sorry. I just can't believe that Dad is going to divorce Mom for Hermione."

"You don't know that."

"Can you think of any other reason Dad would go to Chicago after all this time?"

"No." Archie sighed as he glanced at his father's liquor cabinet "I need a drink."

"Wait." Mickey grabbed his brother's arm as he reached for the cabinet "Dad might check those." The blue-eyed twin led his brother upstairs into the attic, where he moved the coffee table and removing a loose floorboard.

Archie's eyes widened as he spotted a bottle of _Johnnie Walker Green_ scotch sitting on top of a stack of old comic books. "Where did you get that?"

"Bought it from a buddy when I was in Chicago. I was planning on saving it for Homecoming. But considering the crummy week we've had, I saw we bust this open now." Mickey popped open the bottle coughing harshly as he fought to keep the burning liquor down. "Wow, that is strong."

Archie took the bottle in his hand and took a sip, scrunching up his face in disgust the second the scotch touched his lips. "Aw man. How did Grandpa drink this stuff?"

"I think you're supposed to mix it with water," Mickey theorized.

Archie glanced down at the bottle. "We're going to need a lot of water."

* * *

Polly stood alone in the burial grounds of Thornhill that afternoon, looking over the newly added tombstone.

"Hey Jason," she said as her heart slowly began to crumble. The expecting mother dusted the snow off her fiance's tombstone, gently setting a single rose on top of it. "I just got back from the hospital. The doctor said the babies should be here in a few months. Guess I better figure out some names soon," she said with a weak smile "Your mom let me stay in your old room. It lets me feel like you're still close to me. Your mom seems nice. Not all like you described her. But that's probably because she's more interested in the babies than me. And your dad," Polly's voice darkened as she revealed "he's just as distant as you said. Always cooped in his office making business calls. Cheryl's been amazing though," she assured him. "She been helping me get the nursery ready, taking me to Lamaze classes. She and Mickey broke up, though. They're both taking it really hard." Polly felt her voice start to waver as she confessed "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the funeral. That I wasn't when you were," the eledest Cooper sister took in a sharp breath as her eyes began to swell with tears. "I'm going to find out who did this to you, Jason. I'm going to find to you from me. And our babies" she added with a sob, placing a hand on her stomach "And no matter what happens, I will never forget you," she promised "I love you." At that moment, the blonde-haired girl jumped as her phone went off, reaching into her pocket and bringing it to her ear. "Hello?"

 _"Polly? It's me,"_ Betty answered nervously _"Are you okay?"_ she asked, noticing the sadness in her sister's voice.

"Fine. I'm fine," Polly assured her, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What's up?"

 _"It's Jughead's birthday today. And I'm throwing him a surprise party at Archie's."_ Polly could practically see the pleading look on Betty's face she asked _"Do you want to come?"_

"I don't know, Betty." Polly and Jughead had never been close. Plus, the Blossoms had been watching her like a hawk since she moved in. "I'm not really in the mood for a party."

 _"Please, Poll? It would really mean a lot to me. Plus,"_ Betty's voice wavered slightly as she confessed _"I miss you."_

Polly sighed as she imagined her little sister's face, remembering how little time they had spent together since she had come back. "What time's the party?"

* * *

"I'm starting to see why Grandpa liked Scotch."

After mixing a splash of liquor with about a liter of water each, Mickey and Archie were finally able to drink the Scottish spirit without provoking their gag reflex. The Andrews brother sat side by side on the couch as they continued to drink, both of them now significantly buzzed.

"Little bit of this stuff and you're cloud nine," Archie commented, his speech slurring slightly.

"I know what you mean," Mickey chuckled, his cheeks slowly starting to match his hair "Almost makes me forget about Cheryl. Almost."

"You think she's going to talk to you anytime soon?"

"I don't know. That's what worries me," the blue-eyed twin sighed "I need her, Archie-Boy. The night Miss Grundy left town, I was so mad could barely see straight. I actually tried to pick a fight with some of the Southside Serpents," Mickey confessed, earning a shocked look from Archie "That's where I met Joaquin. But Cheryl stopped me. Got me to settle down. Faster than anyone ever has. Whenever my anger starts to get the best of me, she's the one that keeps doing something stupid. She keeps me centered. And now she can't even look at me."

Archie stared at his brother as Mickey took another sip from his drink, the look on the blue-eyed twin's face identical to that of Fred's when Mary had left. "I led Valerie on. I knew I had feelings for someone else, for two other people, and it blew up in my face. I got just what I deserved."

"At least you've got options. With Dad and Hermione split up, you've finally got a shot at Veronica."

"Yeah, right. Mom's putting her dad on trial," Archie reminded "she tried to have her uncle sent to prison. You honestly think she still wants to be with me after that?"

"Do you blame her for Mom getting ran off the road?" Mickey asked. "Or the guys that beat up Moose?"

"Of course not. Her family did that stuff, not her."

The blue-eyed twin smirked as he asked. "Then why you would think that she'd do that to you?"

* * *

Cheryl Blossom was not in a good mood. After spending the better part of a week avoiding Mickey Andrews for heart breaking deception, the ginger snake in the grass had the gall to claim that he actually loved her. Did he think she was a fool? But Cheryl was a fool. A fool for ever believing that Mickey ever loved her to being with. But she was a fool who had learned. She wouldn't fall for his lies again. No matter how much she wanted to believe them.

And to make matters worse Veronica, her supposed friend, had completely humiliated her during the practice, taking her spot at the top of the pyramid for the Homecoming routine. And thanks to the charms of Reggie Mantle, Josie couldn't be bothered to comfort her. Cheryl was alone. She was alone and hurting and _angry._

"Cheryl?"

The gothic heroine jumped slightly as Polly Cooper poked her head through the door, a concerned expression on the expecting mother's face. "Are you alright? You've been in here a while."

Cheryl quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm fine," replied, forcing a smile "Something on your mind, Polly?"

"A favor. Betty's throwing a surprise party for Jughead's birthday. Do you want to come with me?"

Cheryl at a birthday party for Serpent Hobo Jones? "Pass."

"Oh, come on Cheryl. It's at Mickey's house," Polly added "Maybe you two could try to patch things up?"

Cheryl's eyes lit up with a dark mischievous light. "Maybe I will swing by. Why don't go on ahead without Polly? I need to find the right outfit first." As her brother's fiance walked out, Cheryl pulled out her phone and dialed a once forgetten number. "Chuck Clayton. How would you like to team up for a little destruction?"

* * *

After finishing their drinks, Mickey and Archie got dressed for the party, the blue-eyed twin wearing a dark wash denim shirt over a white long-sleeved t-shirt, along with black jeans and brown leather work boots.

"I wouldn't have too many of those if I were you."

Mickey looked up from his seat at the couch as he heard Polly's voice, the expecting mother wearing a grey top, and dark jeans. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Betty invited me. Wanted me to get to know her boyfriend," she told him, wincing slightly as she sat down "How are you holding up?"

"My girl hates me, my parents are getting divorced, and I'm pretty sure the Lodges want us dead," Mickey recapped "I'm having a great week."

"Mickey," Polly gave her best friend a warning look as he took another sip of his drink "The last time you got drunk, you put a kid in the hospital."

"Doiley's not here. And besides, that was the old Mickey," he assured her "This is new and improved Mickey."

"And how does the new and improved Mickey feel about all this?" Polly asked.

"Angry. Frustrated. Scared," he confessed "Like everything around me is falling apart and there's nothing I can do about it."

Polly gave his best friend a sympathetic look. "It's going to be okay, Mickey."

"I hope so. So, how's Cheryl?"

"Well, she spent most of last weekend crying. And she gave you a new nickname: Ginger soul-crusher."

"Terrific."

"But I did convince her to come over here tonight," Polly added with a smile.

Mickey's eyes widened as he threw his arms around her. "You are the best friend I have ever had."

"He's coming!" Ethel whispered jumping back from her lookout point from the door.

The high schoolers quickly shot off the lights and hid behind the furniture, jumping up as the door opened "Surprise!"

Veronica gave her friends a offended expression. "Do I look like Jughead to you?"

"Veronica," Archie gave the New York naitve an awestruck as he took in the sight of her, the raven-haired princess wearing a black two-piece dress and a matching fur jacket. "Hi."

Veronica felt her cheeks turn warm as the brown-eyed twin looked at her as if she were made of gold. "Hi."

"He's coming!" Ethel repeated "For real this time!"

The children quickly hid again as Kevin turned off the lights, jumping up as Betty and Jughead walked in. "Surprise!"

The dark-haired boy jumped as his friends and classmates caught him off guard, his girlfriend giving him a beaming smile. "This is why we left movies early." he realized.

Archie smiled. "Happy birhtday, bro."

"You really shouldn't have," Jughead whispered, awkwardly giving him his best friend a hug, noticing the scent of alcohol on the brown-eyed twin's body. "Are you drunk?"

"No," he disputed, his voice slurring slightly.

"Happy Birthday J." Mickey called, raising his drink high before taking another sip.

"Happy Birthday Jughead." Polly walked over and gave her sister's boyfriend a hug, right before Kevin came over and did the same."

Mickey tilted his head as he watched the dark haired boy greet each of the guest looking more and more uncomfortable with every handshake and hug.

At that moment, the room once again turned dark, as Betty walked in with a hamburger-shaped cake covered with flickering candles as she sang. _"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Jughead. Happy Birthday to you."_

As the birthday blew out his candles, one of the guests slipped away.

* * *

Veronica Lodge silently stood alone in the kitchen, a soft river of tears streaming down her face as she recalled all the birthdays she had shared with her parents, the childhood memories now forever tarnished.

"Ronnie? Are you alright?" Archie stood in the doorway nervously, the tears on her cheeks answering his question "Is this about your father?"

The New York native chuckled. "That's just the tip of iceberg, Archiekins. I'm not really in the mood to talk about."

Archie nodded, wanting to press but respecting her wishes. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Isn't the New York sophisticate supposed to seduce the sweet, small town boy?"

Archie chuckled, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. "Ronnie, I've known you long enough to know you like to do things your own way." The brown-eyed twin took a sip from his drink as he confessed "My dad went to my mom. I think he wants a divorce."

Veronica felt her stomach twist up in knots as she asked. "Because of my mother?"

"I doubt it. My parents have barely talked to each other since my mom moved to Chicago." Archie glanced down at the floor as he confessed. "Ronnie, I can't help but feel like I should apologize for everything my family's put you through."

"I think I'm the one that should apologize. My uncle had your mother ran off the road. My father sent men to sabotage your father's equipment and beat Moose, and my mother drove your parents to a divorce" Veronica reminded "I'm surprised you don't hate me."

"Ronnie, there is nothing on this Earth that could make me hate you."

Veronica felt the pain in her heart subside slightly at the look on Archie's face, his dark brown eyes full of the same adoring light that made feel like a precious gem. "When my father was arrested, my cousin Sebastian stayed with me and my mom for a month. Reminded how he'd been the through the same thing when my Uncle Cero was under investigation. And how everything would be better soon. I really hoped he'd be right. Now I'm not so sure. He threatened her, Archie. My father threatened to expose my mother to the authorities if I didn't testify on his behalf. What if everyone's right? What if I really do come from a family of criminals?"

Archie gently pulled Veronica into his arms, the New York native resting her head on his chest as the tears soft trickled down her cheeks.

At that moment, Betty, Jughead and Mickey walked into the kitchen, a concerned spreading across the blonde-haired girl's face. "You okay, V?"

"Fine," Veronica lied, quickly drying her eyes "Just not in my regular party mood."

"That makes two of us."

"Jughead," Betty gave her boyfriend a look as she asked "Why are you so upset about this?"

"Betty, I appreciate what you're trying to do with this party," he assured her "but I'd much rather prefer it if we all just spent the night at Pop's."

"We do that all the time. I wanted this to be special."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Betty groaned "Why do always have to be so gloom and doom? Why can't you just be normal?"

"I'm not normal," Jughead snapped "I'm not wired to be normal." Before young couple could argue any further, there was knock at the door.

Jughead huffed. "Who else did you invite?"

"Nobody," Betty insisted "Inner circle only."

Curious, the teenagers followed Jughead and Betty to the front door, where they found at least half their school standing on the Andrews' front lawn, with Cheryl Blossom leading the group, a dark and mischievous look in her eye.

"Now Theodore, did you really think you could have a party without inviting me?"

Mickey didn't know what was going on, but he knew it was nothing good.

* * *

Fred sat in alone in a familiar bar the next day, a cozy Irish pub with stained glass windows, wearing a dark grey shirt jacket over a green flannel shirt and jeans, silently a beer as he waiting for Mary. She had been coming to this bar ever since she a little girl, watching the Blackhawks game with her father. They even brought the boys here a couple times before they moved to Riverdale.

Fred's heart skipped a beat as he spotted Mary walking in, dressed in a white crew neck sweater, dark grey slacks and a black wool coat. "Hey. Thanks for meeting me."

"I told you I would." Mary tentatively sat down next to her estranged husband, ordering a mint julep. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Guess I might as well say it." Fred felt his eyes drift down the bar as he confessed "It's my fault you were in a car accident."

"What do you mean?"

"A couple weeks after Hermione moved to Riverdale, the two of us started...seeing each other," Fred confessed shamefully "She bought a piece of land with Hiram's money. I didn't know they owned it at first," he assured her "and when I found out, tried to get out of it. And then Vincero had you ran off the road." Fred lowered his head in shame, not once allowing himself to meet his wife's gaze "I'm sorry, Grace."

After a moment of silence, Mary asked. "You think my accident was my fault?"

"I know it is."

"Huh."

"Huh?" Fred repeated. "What do you mean, huh?"

"Mickey thinks my accident was his fault," Mary revealed "he called and apologized the night I left the hospital."

"He did?"

Mary nodded as she took a sip from her drink. "Poor thing was practically in tears."

"Why would Mickey think it's his fault?"

"Because he's been helping convince people in Riverdale to testify against Hiram in court. And because he threatened Hermione," Mary added "Twice, apparently."

"He threatened-?" Fred was really getting confused now "Why would he do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? To protect you. Look, it's no secret that I am not a fan of the Lodges," Mary confessed "and I may've influenced Mickey's opinion of Herminone. I practically painted those two out as Satan spawn when Mickey was here. So, it's not a surprise he was suspicious of Hermione the second you two started seeing each other. Bottom line, what happened to me was not your fault. Or Mickey's," she added quickly "I was the one who decided to go after Vincero Santiago. I was the once who chose to go after Hiram after Vincero put my star witness in the morgue. Me. Not you or Mickey. So stop blaming yourselves."

Fred stared at Mary for a moment, amazed how she still knew just what to say to make him feel better after all these years.

"The games about to start," Mary noticed, glancing at the TV. "Do yo want to watch with me?"

"Don't you have plans with Marcus? Mickey told me him," Fred explained after seeing the surprised look on her face. "Doesn't seem to like him much."

"He just hates him because he's not you," Mary said with a chuckle "Anyway, we broke up."

"Oh," Fred's eyes widened slightly "What happened?"

"He asked me to move in. I said no."

"How come?"

"Because he wasn't you." Mary took a much needed sip of her drink while Fred gave her an awestruck look, her eyes locked on the TV in front of her "This should be a good game."

* * *

In twenty minutes, the Andrews house had turned into a full blown rave. Kids packed in from wall to wall. Music that could be heard from around the corner. Beer kegs in the kitchen and the backyard. And Mickey didn't like it one bit.

And he wasn't the only one. "I thought this was supposed to be a low-key party," Polly shouted over the blaring music.

"It was." Mickey scowled as he watched Cheryl dancing with a member of Riverdale High basketball team, his blood crackling with jealously as their hips swayed to the music. "How did Cheryl even know about the party?"

"That might be my fault. I asked her to cover for me when I left the house," Polly confessed "Sorry."

"It's okay." Mickey clenched his jaw as he watched Chuck mingle with the crowd, the former football player doing his best to make all the girls forget why he was suspended. "Just do me a favor and stay away from him."

"What did Chuck do anyway?"

"Him and his buddies slut-shamed a bunch of girls online and rated them in a scorebook."

"Oh my God," Polly gasped. "Why would Cheryl want anything to do with him?"

"To mess with me," Mickey answered. As sweet as she could be when they were alone, Mickey had never forgotten that when Cheryl Blossom could be absolutely ruthless when she wanted to be. Which is why she looked right at him before kissing her new dance partner.

* * *

Josie pushed her way through the partying teenagers as she entered the house, looking for Valerie and Melody when she bumped into Reggie Mantle.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted with a smile, wearing a long-sleeved black polo shirt and dark jeans. "You want to dance?"

Josie tilted her head as notice the strong scent of alcohol on his breath. "You're drunk."

"Just a little buzz. You want to dance?" he repeated.

"Maybe later."

"Aw, come one beautiful, " Reggie whined "Look, I know I got a rep. I know that you're scared. But I'm not going to hurt you," he promised "You are the only girl that has ever meant anything to me."

"Reggie-,"

"Mickey is the only other person I've told about my father. Do honestly think I would've done that if I wasn't serious about you?" he asked "You're what I lay awake thinking about in the middle of the night. And the first thing I think about in the morning. I'm not just trying to have sex with you, Josie. I want to be with you. Really be with you."

Josie stared at him in shock, his slurred yet sincere words completely catching her off guard. "You're right. I am scared," she confessed "You are everything my mother have ever told me to avoid in a man. And then you look at me like that and say things like this...I want to believe you. I really do. But how can I when nearly every girl in Riverdale's had her heart broken by Reggie Mantle?"

"Josie. Josie," Reggie reached out for her as the alcohol caused the room to start to spin, only for her to disappear into the crowd.

* * *

Veronica Lodge chugged down her shot of tequila with ease, smiling amussedly as she waited for Archie to do the same. "Well? What do you think?"

"Not bad. But I'm not sure how I feel about mixing booze with salt." The brown-eyed smiled as he took a moment to admire the New York native's beauty, a familiar tune returning to his mind.

Veronica felt her cheeks grow warm at Archie's sudden expression, feeling as if she were suddenly made of diamonds and pearls. "What?"

"Nothing." The young musician reached over and took her hand as he requested. "Dance with me." Archie led Veronica into the living room, where at least a dozen teenagers were dancing wildly to the loud music.

Veronica felt her heart skip a beat as she draped her across Archie's neck, while he placed his gently on her waist, their hips gently swaying to music, the world slowly fading away as they looked into each other eyes. As the rest of the party crashers kept bumping into them, Archie and Veronica were forced to stand closer and closer, a lustful fire stirring in their stomachs as their hips became pressed together as they continued to dance.

Veronica's heart pounded against her chest as her lips hovered less than an inch away from Archie's. God, did she want to kiss him. But at what cost? The Lodges had already done so much damage to the Andrews family. Could she really risk adding the broken heart of Archie Andrews to the list?

"Ronnie," Archie quickly took notice of the look on her face and asked "What's wrong?"

"Archie. I-, Oh my God." Veronica's eyes widened as she noticed a familiar face among the crowd: the Southside Serpent that had been following her mother. "What is he doing here?"

"Who?"

"Get down." Veronica grabbed Archie's hand and led him into the kitchen, praying to God that they hadn't seen.

"Veronica, what is going on?" he demanded.

"Don't freak out, but I think the Serpents are here seeking vengeance for you roughing up one of their own."

Curious, Archie glanced around the corner, quickly spotting the Serpent in the crowd, a easy smile spreading across his face. "Relax, Ronnie. He's not here to cause trouble. That's Jughead's dad."

"Jughead's-?" Veronica head was starting to spin and it had nothing to do with the alcohol. "Archie, he's the one that made a deal with my father. He's been hounding my mother for weeks."

Archie's surprised expression quickly turned into a protective scowl as he watched FP head upstairs with Joaquin, remembering Mickey's theory that the using Serpent was spying on the sheriff through Kevin. "Come with me."

Veronica frowned as he took her hand and led her upstairs. "Where are we going?"

"To get answers."

* * *

Archie and Veronica marched into the Andrews brothers' bedroom, where they found FP and Joaquin have a private conversation.

"Hey Red," FP greeted with an uneasy smile "This is quite the shindig you've put for my boy."

"What are you doing up here, Mr. Jones?"

FP tilted his head at the stern tone in the brown-eyed twin's voice, his face uncharacteristically stern. Funny. Fred always seemed to make the same face when he was angry. "Just having a talk with Joaquin here. Who's your friend?" he asked, finally acknowledging the young woman in the room.

"Veronica Lodge," she introduced.

"Hermione's daughter. I should've known," FP said with a chuckle "You look just like your mother when she was your age."

"Veronica says the Serpents have been harassing her mother," Archie revealed bluntly, carefully studying FP's facial expressions "She says you've been following her."

"Is that right? Hate to break it to you little lady, but you've got it all wrong. It's been a while since Hermione Lodge and I've been in the same social circles," FP shrugged nonchalantly "We were just catching up."

"Is that why you sent her a rattlesnake when she was working at Pop's?" Archie asked.

FP scratched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know anything about that."

"You're lying."

"Excuse me?"

"When me and Jughead were little, you and my dad used to have poker nights every Wensday," Archie reminded "He said he could always tell when you had a bad hand when you scratched your nose."

FP felt a nervous chill run down his spine. "I don't have to take this."

Archie stepped in front of the leader of the Southside Serpents as he made his way to the door.

"Get out of the way Archie," FP demanded.

"Not until you tell me what the Serpents want with the Lodges."

"Look here boy," FP said with a warming voice "Don't try and talk to me like a man unless you're ready to get knocked down like one."

"I'm not afraid of you," Archie stated boldly "Remember what I did to your pal at the bar?"

"Yeah, I do. I also remember that he was on his third beer by the time you kids show up," FP revealed "something tells me you've already had more than that."

Archie's face was red. His eyes were glassy, his stance unbalanced. He'd been drink since before since before the party began and it was starting to show.

"So I'm going to chalk this all up to the booze talking and see myself out."

Archie grabbed FP by the arm as he attempted to shove his way to the door. "We're not done yet."

"Yeah, we are." FP turned around and gave the young man a good shove, knocking him onto his bed as he completely lost his balance.

"Archie!" Veronica hurried over to her friend's side, the brown-eyed looking dazed, but otherwise unharmed.

"Think you've have enough Red," FP advised and he and Joaquin walked out "you might want to sleep it off."

"Archie," Veronica gave him a worried look as she helped him to sit upright "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered, his head spinning from the blow and the alcohol in his system. "I just...need a minute."

"Archie-,"

"Go away Ronnie," he demanded in a dark tone "I'm fine."

The New York native reluctantly headed downstairs, the brown-eyed twin drunkenly taking out his phone and dialing a familiar number.

 _"Hi, this is Mary. Leave a message."_

* * *

After watching Cheryl kissing someone else, Mickey had to get out of the house as fast as possible before he ended up hitting something. The blue-eyed twin marched outside and headed for the garage, only to stop as he opened the door and overheard two familiar voices arguing.

"You and Archie are my friends," Jughead stated "but Kevin, Veronica, people who two months ago, I would've actively shunned."

"Why?" Betty asked.

"This come as a surprise, but I'm weird. I'm a weirdo," he repeated "Have you ever seen me without this hat on? That's weird."

"Jughead, it's just a party."

"It is not just a party. It's the fact that you don't know or even care," he emphasized in a bitter tone "that this is the last thing that I want. You did this because have something to prove."

"Prove what?" Betty questioned.

"You're a great girlfriend? I don't know. Does ever occur to you just how different we are?" he asked "Like on a cellular level? You're a straight-A student, a cheerleader for God's sake. You are the perfect. Girl. Next. Door."

"I hate that word," Betty stated in a dark tone, one that reminded Mickey all too much of the night at Ethel's.

"Meanwhile, I'm the damaged loner from the wrong side of the tracks. Who are we kidding?" Jughead asked "We're on burrowed time."

"What is that supposed to mean?'

"I am not one of your projects!" Jughead snapped.

"Where is this coming from?" Betty asked in a teary voice "You're not a project, you're my boyfriend."

"For how long? Until you get sick of me?" Jughead questioned "Or until Archie changes his mind and wants to be with you?"

Mickey flinched at that last sentence, jumping back out of sight as Betty marched out, the blonde-haired girl on the verge of tears. After watching his neighbor fade into the crowd, Mickey silently stepped into the garage, giving Jughead a simple response. "You're an idiot."

The dark-haired boy scoffed as he marched back and forth. "Leave me alone, Mickey."

"Hey," Mickey gave his roommate a warning look "I'm just trying to help a friend."

"Friend's? Mickey, we're not friends. We haven't been friends in years," Jughead emphasized "We just tolerate each other for Archie."

"That's not true."

"Oh please," Jughead gave the blue-eyed an exasperated look "Ever since you Reggie became the jock bros, you've acted like I barely exist. And there's not enough Marvel movies in the world that can change that."

"J," Mickey gave the birthday boy a hurt expression "I am sorry if you think I wasn't there for you back in the day. But you were way out of line yelling at Betty like that."

"You're right." Jughead sighed as he collapsed down onto the couch, a weary look on his face. "It's just, why would Btty try to throw me a party?"

"She wanted to do something nice for you. Like she always does. Remember my eleventh birthday party?" Mickey asked "She and Polly made us this massive three layer cake."

"That's just it. She does this kind of stuff for Archie. Not me. You know I was the only one who knew he liked Betty back in middle school?" Jughead revealed "I must've spent at least a dozen weekends with him, weighing the pros and cons to telling her how he felt. Then your mom left and he lost his nerve. But there was something I never told him: that I had a crush on Betty the whole time." The dark-haired boy lowered his head his went on "Archie's the best guy I know. He's loyal, handsome, talented. I should've known Betty and me were destined to crash and burn. Why would she ever want someone like me when she could have Archie?" The young novelist sighed "Guys like him always get the girl."

After a moment of silence, Mickey laughed. "You are so clueless."

"What?"

"You really don't see it do you?" Mickey asked, surprised at the confused look on his friend's face "Jughead, girls like Betty always go for guys like you.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jughead, you're a bad boy."

The young writer raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You skip class, Betty's mom hates you, you grew up on the Southside and, you ran away from home when you were fifteen and your dad is the alcoholic leader of a biker gang. All you're missing is the leather jacket and a Harley. That makes you two like, ninety percent of every love story ever made," Mickey insisted "You and Betty are _Grease,_ you're _West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast_."

" _Beauty and the Beast_?" Jughead repeated.

"Yeah. _Beauty and the Beast._ Kevin and Reggie have this theory," Mickey explained "that you can tell what kind of guy a girl's into based what's her favorite Disney movie. One of Betty's favorites is _Beauty and the Beast._ The story of a beautiful, super smart girl who falls in love a with a moody, angry, lone wolf prince. A bad boy. Just like you."

Jughead was silent for a moment, his eyes locked on the floor. "Mickey, I don't remember _Beauty and the Beast_ ever being Betty's favorite. I remember her liking it," he acknowledged "but it was never her favorite. That was always _Sleeping Beauty._ The story of a princess who fell for the prince of neighboring kingdom. The boy next door." Jughead's voice became tainted with bitterness "Sounds like Archie Andrews to me."

Mickey gave his friend a sympathetic look. "J, if Archie ever had feelings for Betty, he would never act on them if it meant hurting you. And if you want to keep Betty, then you're going to have to work to make this last."

Jughead stayed silent for a moment, poking his tongue against his cheek. "You know what? Maybe I should just cut the chord and get it over with now. I'm out of here."

"Jughead." Mickey followed after the dark-haired boy as he marched out. "Jughead!"

* * *

Josie worked her way past the crowd of teenagers as she went to the kitchen to get a drink, looking up from the red plastic cup in her hands as she heard a familiar voice.

"Josie McCoy." Chuck Clayton stood in the entrance to the kitchen, looking at the leader of Pussycats like she was a snack, the Mayor's daughter wearing a form-fitting yellow sweater with cheetah-print leggings. "Still as fine as ever."

"And you're still as disgusting as ever." Josie stated with a roll of her eyes.

"Whoa. Slow down." Chuck flashed his usual smile he stepped in front of her as she tried to leave the room, the scent of alcohol oozing off his breath "I just want to talk."

"And I'd rather eat radioactive slime."

"Now why you got to be so rude?" Chuck asked, in a menacingly dark tone.

"Back off, Chuck." Josie backed away nervously he approached her, a sickening chill running down her spine "I mean it."

"You don't mean that."

"Yeah, I do." Josie whipped her free hand back and attempt to slap Chuck against the face, only for him to grab her wrist and squeeze it tight.

"Feisty," he remarked with a chuckle. "I like that."

 _BAM!_

Josie jumped ins surprise as Chuck was suddenly pulled off of her, the former varsity football captain pinned against the wall by Reggie Mantle.

The current leader of the Bulldogs directed a warning finger in his former teammate's face, his jaw locked like a vice as the veins in his neck pulsing with rage. "Don't touch her. You touch her again, and I'll break your legs," he promised.

"My bad Mantle," Chuck apologized with a smile "Didn't know she was your girl."

Reggie glared at him as he walked away, his eyes blazing like a tiger defending his territory. The second Chuck was out of sight, Reggie felt his blood start to cool. "You okay Jos-?"

Reggie's eyes widened as Josie quickly threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest, trembling slightly as he held her gently.

The Mayor's daughter's heart raced as she looked up at the leader of the Bulldogs, a nervous look on her face as she gave him a soft, intimate kiss on the lips.

Reggie felt his heart go into overdrive as his stayed perfectly still wanting to savor the moment for as long as possible. No one had ever kissed him like this before. And it was definitely worth the wait.

As she pulled her lips away, Josie looked into his eyes and asked. "Do you want to go to the Homecoming dance with me?"

Reggie just smiled. "What time should I pick you up?"

* * *

"Jughead. Jughead!" Mickey repeated. The blue-eyed twin marched after the birthday boy as he made a run for the door. "Jughead, will you calm down?" The high school baseball player stopped as he bumped into Cheryl Blossom.

"Having a good time, Mickey?"

Mickey felt his insides twist up in hurt as at the dark satisfaction in her voice. He loved her and she took pleasure in making him hurt. "Not now, Cheryl." The blue-eyed twin reluctantly walked past her and headed to the front door, where he found Chuck Clayton confronting Jughead.

"Out of my way Chuck," Jughead demanded. "I'm leaving."

"Oh. But we were just about to play a game." Mickey gave Cheryl a suspicious look as she walked over. "Listen up everyone," she announced "We've all got our fair share of secrets. And we've done our fair share of sinning. That's certainly something my brother's death has revealed. So," Cheryl gave the crowd a wicked grin as she locked the door "it's time we get those secrets out in the open."

* * *

Fred and Mary two hours later, the estranged laughing softly from the drinks and joy of watching the Blackhawks destroy the Detroit Red Wings.

"What a great game!" Mary exclaimed. "Did you see that last minute save?"

"It was one for the record books." Fred smiled at the ecstatic look on his estranged wife's face, loving how a hockey game could turn the usually reserved lawyer into an excited child.

Mary glanced down at the ground as Fred stared at her, giving her the same mystified look from when they were young. The one that always made her cheeks turn red. "So, how long are you in town f-?"

"Mary, look out!" Fred quickly pulled his wife out of the way as she stepped off of the sidewalk and into the crosswalk, a car whizzing past an inch away from their faces. As he held her in his arms, Fred remembered all the times he'd held Mary like this: The Homecoming dance, Senior Prom, their wedding.

"Fred." As her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, Mary frowned as she saw something poking out from behind her husband's jacket. "Why are your carrying your service pist-?" The scarlet-haired lawyer's words were cut off as her estranged husband gave her a quick and sudden kiss, the unexpected gesture bringing forth a lifetime of buried memories.

Mary felt her entire body tremble as she gently pressed her lips against his, the kiss quickly going from soft and timid to heated and passionate.

"I'm still mad about the gun," Mary gasped.

Fred chuckled. "Tell me something I don't know."

* * *

*Mickey sat nervously on the couch with his brother and friends, the partying high schoolers now huddled together to play Cheryl's mysterious game.

"Just what is _secrets and sins_?" Jughead asked.

"It's a form of truth or dare," Cheryl explained "only it's just truth. So, who wants to go first?"

"I'll go." Dilton Doiley took another sip from his third beer as he revealed "I saw Miss Grundy's car by Sweetwater River on July 4th. And Archie was out there around the same time so...?"

"Oh my God. Archie?" Cheryl's eyes widened as she pieced the clues together. Archie's sudden interest in music, his private lessons with Miss Grundy, the mystery girl that Mickey claimed was an suspect in Jason's death "Were you in Miss Grundy having an affair?"

Archie felt his stomach twist up in knots as everybody starting his whispering, his face covered in embarrassment as they started to stare.

Chuck was impressed. "Archie banged a teacher? Now that is one for the record books."

"No wonder he can't keep a girl. He has serious Mommy issues. They both do," Cheryl gave Mickey a cold look as she listed off "Red hair, brown eyes, there's certainly a resemblance. Is that it Mickey? Were you looking for a new mommy?"

Mickey said nothing, his face as stoic as stone as his insides were torn apart.

"Cheryl," Polly gave her roommate a protective glare "that's enough."

"Fine. It's my turn to tell a secret," she decided "I'll start with...Veroinca."

"Shocking," the New York native replied with the roll of her eyes. She knew it only a matter of time before Cheryl for revenge for their battle during practice.

Fine. Now, which secret should I reveal next?" she wondered "How Hiram Lodge bought the Drive-In from behind bars? Or how Hermione is nothing more than a dirty little man-eater?"

"How _dare_ you!" Veronica shot up from her seat as she lunged at Cheryl, only for Archie to pull her back at the last second. "You don't know anything about my mother!"

Cheryl just laughed. "I'm not the one who named your mother 'Homewrecker Hermione'. Betty's mom did that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Long ago, Hermione Santiago and Alice Barnes were the original B&V. Inseperable," Cheryl emphasized "Sisters all but blood. Until your mother slept with Betty's father."

"No. No, your lying!" Veronica protested "My mother would never do that."

"V, it's the truth." Betty gave her best friend a deeply sympathetic look. "My mom told me the whole story after the first day of school."

As Veronica stood in shock, Archie began to wonder how Cheryl Blossom knew the history of Alice and Hermione, noticing the guilt-ridden look on his brother's face. _"How much did you tell her?"_

Mickey sighed. _"Everything._ "

Cheryl smiled at the horrified look on the New York native's face "You're mother's a slut, Veronica. A disloyal tramp who said yes to anyone in a letter jacket. And no one knows that better than Fred Andrews. Isn't that right, Archie?"

"What is she talking about? Archie," Veronica gave him an urgent look his face became clouded with a grim realization "what is she talking about?"

"Ronnie, was your dad captain of the wrestling team in high school?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" One look at Archie and she knew he was going to let this go "Fine. Yes. My father was on the wrestling team. My mother was head cheerleader. So what?"

"So, they broke Fred's heart. Hermione was the first woman Fred ever loved," Cheryl explained "and how did she repay that love? By screwing the one man he couldn't stand: Hiram Lodge. Your father. And when Archie's mother went after Fred, your mother made her life a living nightmare."

Veronica felt sick to her stomach. It was bad enough that Hiram and Vincero weren't who she thought they were, but her mother?

Chuck just laughed. "Looks like being a freak is a genetic trait."

Archie's blood turned to fire. His heart pounded like a war drum. His eyes blazed like coals. His voice came out in a menacing snarl. "Shut up, Clayton. Just shut up," he repeated, turning around to look the former football captain in the eye "before I make you."

Chuck just laughed. "Nice impression of your brother, Archie. But I'm not convinced."

 _You should be,_ Mickey thought, watching Archie very carefully. He had seen that look on his brother's face before. And if Chuck kept pushing, he would be in for the fight of his life.

"Do you see this?" Archie asked, holding up his hand, allowing Chuck to see the yellowish purple bruises on his knuckles. "I got this fighting a Southside Serpent. I backed him into a corner and hit him. Over and over," he emphasized "until his nose broke and his mouth spewed blood. I honestly think I might've killed him if his buddies hadn't pulled me off him. So I am only going to say this once," Archie warned, stepping closer to his former teammate "if you ever insult Veronica or her family again, you are going to wish you looked half as good as that Serpent when I'm done with you."

Veronica heart stopped as she watched the brown-eyed twin, the dark fury in his eyes reminding her all too much of her father.

Chuck just smirked. "Guy misses school for a few weeks and suddenly everyone thinks he's a punk," the former leader of the Bulldogs glanced over at the blonde-haired girl sitting on the couch, remembering the events that led to his suspension. "What about Betty? Is she covered on the Archie Andrews protection plan?"

Betty jumped in her seat as Archie grabbed Chuck's shirt with both hands, slamming him into the wall with a thud. This was not the boy she had grown up with. This was rage. This was fury This was…darkness.

"What do you think?"

"Get off me!" Chuck snapped, shoving Archie back. The former varsity football player prepared to throw a fist, only to stop at the last second when he noticed Mickey, Reggie and Moose moving towards him, a casual smile spreading across his face. "I just thought the world would like to know the real Betty Cooper. Lady in the streets, freak in the sheets."

"LIAR!" Archie lunged at Chuck as his anger turned into a raging inferno, forcing Mickey and Reggie to grab his eyes as they held him back.

"Ooh. Looks like you've got some competition Jones," Chuck warned with a laugh. "I just though everyone would like to know how Betty got me suspended. She dressed like a hooker. In a God awful black wig. She actually thought she was Polly," he added with a chuckle "and that I was Jason."

All eyes fell to the youngest Cooper sister, her heart racing as she spoke in an uncertain voice. "That...that didn't happen. I didn't do that. I would never do that."

"Hey, don't take my word for it. Ask your friends," Chuck offered "They're the ones that kept you from boiling me alive."

Betty desperately looked to Mickey, Reggie and Veronica fro support, each and everyone of them unable to look her in the eye.

Finally, Polly spoke. "My sister would never do that."

"Oh really? Well then, speak up Betty," Chuck offered "Tell us how you remember that night."

"I," Betty's heart raced as she struggled to respond, her mind drawing a complete blank as she fought to remember that night.

Chuck grinned as tears swelled in her eyes. "Looks like Betty's got a screw loose. Watch yourself, Jughead. You might need a safe word with her."

At that moment, the Southside native jumped out of his seat and swung at the disgraced football captain, only for Chuck to dodge the blow and hit right in the stomach, causing Jughead to keel over in pain.

BAM!

The entire house went silent as Archie slammed his fist into Chuck's jaw, knocking him flat on the floor. "I am only going to say this once: Everyone that was not invited by me or Betty get. Out. NOW!"

As the party crashers scrambled out the door, Archie helped Jughead to his feet, glancing over at Reggie, Moose and Mickey as Chuck struggled to get up. "You guys want to help me take out the trash?" The brown-eyed twin and the dark-haired writer grabbed Chuck by both arms and dragged him out of the house, tossing him into the snow as he scrambled back.

"Stay away from Veronica," Archie threatened darkly "Stay away from Betty. Stay away from Josie and Cheryl and Midge. And if you ever pull any of your misogynistic B.S. again, we'll tear you apart."

As the disgraced Bulldog took off into the night, Mickey spotted Cheryl walking towards her car, with Josie by her side.

* * *

"Are you out of your mind? What was that for?" Josie demanded.

Cheryl gave her best friend a dismissive glance. "Just blowing off a little steam?"

"Is that what you call trashing Mickey's house? Dragging his friends through the mud? Telling the whole school that he has some sort of mommy kink?"

"He deserves far worse for what he did to me."

"No Cheryl!" Josie shouted "He didn't. Cher, you are my girl and I know that you are hurting,but Mickey did not deserve what you put him through tonight. No matter what he did. And you need to pull yourself together, before you drive everyone away."

As the leader of Pussycats walked over to Reggie's car, Cheryl heard a familiar voice.

"Cheryl." Mickey marched over with a furious look as he demanded. "Don't ever do that again."

"What's the matter Mickey?" Cheryl's face turned into a wicked grin as she ignored the stinging sensation in her eyes "Having trouble swallowing the truth?"

"You want to come after me, fine. Drag me through the dirt. Tear me to shreds everyday if it makes you feel better. It won't stop me from loving you."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because It's the truth!" Mickey shouted "I love you. I love how you walk through the school like you own it. I love how you can watch a Siberian tiger attack a deer on a nature documentary and look at it like it's a stray kitten. I love how strong you have to be just to live you life. I love that you have one the biggest hearts I have ever seen. I love you, Cheryl," he repeated "And I know that you love me too."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" he questioned "Because throughout all of this you have not once said that you don't love me."

Cheryl felt her stomach twist up in knots as she struggled to form a response, her mind and heart literally at war with each other. "I can count on one hand the number of people I have ever truly trusted in my life: Jason, my grandmother, Josie and you. Most of them have never betrayed that trust, but you? I leaned on you when I was grieving. I showed you the scars given to me by my mother," she emphasized "and the second my back was turned, you used me to hide Polly and keep your family's business from going belly up."

"Rosie, I know that I broke you trust," Mickey confessed shamefully "I know you got a lot of pain inside you and I that I screwed up and made it worse. So if you need to use me as a human punching bag for a while, go ahead. I can take it. But don't ever, ever go after my brother or my friends again," he warned "Because that, that is the one thing that could stop from loving you."

* * *

Betty's heart pounded as she stumbled across Archie's house, her lungs screaming for air as her minds raced with Chuck's accusations.

 _Dressed like a hooker. Black wig. Thought she was Polly._

He was lying. He had to by lying. But the looks on Mickey on Veronica's faces…No. No! Chuck was lying! He had to be lying! Betty met Veronica at Ethel's an hour before Chuck arrived, she got changed into…swimsuit. A swimsuit, that had to be it. She made Chuck a drink, she laced it with a truth serum, and then…and then…

Betty balled her hands into tight fists. Why couldn't she remember? As Betty's nails dug into her palms, she felt a familiar pain as they broke through the skin. Then everything went black.

* * *

Archie sighed he walked back into his house, looking over the mountain of a mess that he and Mickey would be spending the rest of the day cleaning. As he rolled up his sleeves to get started, the brown-eyed twin sighed as he headed into the kitchen to gather some cleaning supplies, where he spotted his best friend sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey Betty," he greeted, grabbing a bucket and a sponge from under the sink "Sorry the party got out of hand."

"Elizabeth."

Archie frowned as he stood back up. "What?"

"I want you to call me Elizabeth," Betty explained "It makes me feel…powerful."

Archie frowned at the uncharacteristically dark tone in her voice, noticing the red cup in her hand. "You've been drinking."

"Just a little," she assured him, taking another sip "Is it true, what you said to Chuck? Did you really mess up your hand beating up a Southside Serpent?"

"He went after Mickey. I did what I did to protect him," Archie justified "and I'd do it again if I had to."

"Didn't know you were such a bad boy, Arch."

Arch. Betty had been calling him that since they were ten years old. And for the first time, it didn't sound right to him. There was huskiness to it, a lustfulness that had never been there before. "Listen, I'm really sorry about Chuck. I don't know why he would think anyone would believe a crazy story like that."

"It's not a story." The leader of the Blue and Gold look her best friend straight in the eye as she confessed "Everything Chuck said is true. The wig, the lingerie. I even handcuffed him to Ethel's pool and poured a bottle syrup on his head."

If Archie didn't know any better, he'd say she sounded proud of it. "You sure you're feeling okay B-, Elizabeth?" he corrected.

The blonde-haired girl smiled at the sound of her full name on his lips. "Never better. Can I ask you something, Arch? Something personal?"

"Uh," Archie hesitated, not really sure where this would lead. But whether girl in front of him went by Betty or Elizabeth, she was still his oldest and closet friend. "Sure?"

"Am I the reason you and Valerie broke up? Am I girl you see in your dreams?"

Archie's face turned stark white. "How did you know I had a dream about you?"

"I didn't," she answered, her face breaking into a massive grin "until now."

Archie blinked slowly as he resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall.

"So, what happened in this dream?" she asked "Were we naughty?"

"Uh, no." Archie felt his heart pound against his chest as he struggled to speak "Nothing like that. I was lost in these woods and you saved me."

"Is that all that happened?"

Archie's hands clammed up as he stared into her eyes, the once familiar soft green orbs swirling a with a strange, hypnotic darkness. "You were wearing your down."

"Like this?" The girl next door reached up and undid the silk bow holding up her ponytail, shaking her head back and forth as she untangled the knots in her golden blonde locks with her fingers.

Archie's heart stopped as he stared at his best friend, looking exactly as she had in the dream that had awaken his long-buried feelings.

"Is this how I look in your dreams, Arch?" she asked, smirking at the expression on his face.

Archie didn't know what was about to happen, but he knew he had to stop it. Right. Now. "Betty."

"I told you not to call me that anymore," she reminded, gliding over to him like lioness cornering her prey "Do it again, and I might have to punish you."

Archie's body began to tremble as he backed himself into the kitchen counter, jerking his head back as she leaned close. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to kiss you," she answered simply. "That's what we do in my dreams."

Archie gripped the counter with both hands as she left a trail of kisses across his jawline, his knuckles turning quickly turning white. "Elizabeth, we can't do this."

"Why not?"

"Jughead's your boyfriend. He's my best friend," Archie reminded "This is his birthday. How could you do something like this to him on his birthday?"

"You know why," she whispered nibbling on his ear "because we love each other."

Archie's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "What did you say?"

"I love you," she repeated, in a voice similar to the one of the girl he knew "I've always loved you. I've loved you from the moment I met you," she proclaimed softly "And I know you love me too."

"That's not what I meant when I-,"

"Tell me it doesn't bother you that Jughead and I are together," she challenged "Tell me it doesn't make you jealous. Tell me you don't love me."

Archie stayed silent, knowing what he should say yet unable to form the words, causing a smile to form on his best friend's face.

"Archie, ever since you found my bunny in your house when we were four, you've been my Superman. And I wanted was to be your Lois Lane." The blonde-haired smiled at the stunned look on his face, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned in close "Just one little kiss, Arch," she pleaded lustfully "Nobody has to know. "

Archie heart stopped beating. His lungs screamed for air. His hands trembled as he held onto the counter for dear life. He knew he should stop this. That he should get out of there as fast as he could. But his legs wouldn't move. Maybe that was deep down, there was part of him that actually wanted this to happen...

"Betty!"

Archie jumped as Polly Cooper walked in, a shocked and angry look on her face as she glared at her younger sister.

"Are you out of your mind?" she demanded "What are you two doing?"

"Just having a little fun," Elizabeth answered, placing her head on the brown-eyed twin's shoulder "right, Arch?"

Archie said nothing, his heart going a million miles an hour as he struggled to come up with anything to say.

Fortunately, Polly had plenty to say. "If Jughead had seen you two-,"

"Oh, don't act you care," Elizabeth snapped "You've pretty clear that I mean nothing to you."

Polly looked as she'd been stabbed in the heart. "How can you say that? You're my sister."

"You _left_ me! You were going to run off with Jason and your babies and you didn't tell me anything! And after I fought tooth and nail to bring me home you picked the Blossoms over your own family!" she added with a hurt-filled voice "While our parents fight like cats and dogs and our family falls apart right in front of me. So, don't you dare stand there and pretend that you-," At that moment, the younger Cooper sister stopped talking as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her knees turning to butter as she started to collapse.

"Betty." Archie quickly caught his best friend as her head nearly hit the corner of the kitchen table, gently shaking her awake, a familiar light in the blonde-haired girl's eye. Whoever or whatever that Elizabeth act was, it was over now. Betty was back. As her eyes started to swell up with tears, Archie came to a grim realization. "It happened again, didn't it?"

Betty nodded, her entire body trembling as he sat her down on one of the kitchen stools, an utterly terrified look on her face.

"What happened?" Polly demanded "What was that?"

"Blackout," Betty answered in a quivering voice "I've been, I've been having blackouts."

"Betty, your hands." Archie's face turned white as noticed the bloody cuts on her palms "I'll get the first aid kit."

As the brown-eyed twin hurried upstairs, Polly stared at the cuts on her little sister's hands, taking in a nervous breath as she asked. "How long?"

"Since the summer," Betty answered, "During my internship, I'd overwork myself to the point that I'd forget to take my pills. I've been taking them everyday since I got back." Betty's voice turned into a strangled sob as the tears ran down her cheeks "But the blackouts keep coming."

Polly felt her heart start to break. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Do you really have to ask me that?" Betty looked down at her wounded palms, her heart swirling with fearful thoughts as she tried to remember the moments she just lost. "I don't want to end up like Grandma, Polly. I don't want to end up like Grandma."

"You won't." Polly placed both hands on the sides of her sister's face, forcing her to meet her tear-filled eyes. "You are not crazy. You are not a disgrace," she said struggling to keep her voice level "You're just sick. Just like grandma was sick. We are going to figure this out," she promised "We're going find out what's wrong, and we are going to get you better."

"Don't tell Mom and Dad."

"I won't." Polly quickly threw Betty into a much-needed hug, holding her tight as her little sister cried. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was marrying Jason. Or why I decided to live with the Blossoms," she added softly "I love you Betty."

Betty managed a brief smile. "I love you too Polly," she said with a sniffle.

"I found the bandages," Archie announced walking in with the first aid kit. The brown-eyed cleaned the cuts on Betty's hands, staying silent as he wrapped them in bandages.

After a moment of silence Betty asked. "So, what did I do?"

Archie felt his heart skip a beat as he remembered the feeling of his best friend pressed up against him. "Don't worry about it," he told her, ignoring the look he got from Polly.

At that moment, Betty's phone went off, indicating she got a text. "It's Jughead. He wants us me to meet him at Pop's."

"Betty," Polly gave her sister a worried expression "are you sure you should-?"

"I have to see him, Polly. I owe him that much after making a mess of his birthday."

"Betty," Archie called out to her as picked her hair ribbon off the ground, offering it to her as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "You dropped this."

"Thanks." The blonde-haired girl took the ribbon and wrapped it around her hair, looking like her old self as she set her ponytail back in place as she walked out.

As soon as she was out the door, Archie finally asked. "How much did you see?"

Polly sighed. "Enough."

"Nothing happened."

"Archie."

"Nothing happened," he repeated sternly "You saw how Betty was during her blackout. She wasn't herself."

"I know."

"So why say anything?"

"Because despite whatever mental problems my sister may have, there is a part of her that still has feelings for you," Polly explained "and I think you have feelings for her."

Archie sighed as he rested his elbow on the kitchen table his heart swirling with warring emotions. "Betty and I are just friends. We thought about being more than that once or twice, but we both decided that things would be better if we stay friends."

"Archie," Polly gave him an unconvinced look as she asked. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

* * *

Fred sighed as he woke in a bed that was neither his nor the one from his hotel room, his clothes scattered across the floor and an Army Ranger tattoo on his shoulder blade, a faint hangover pulsing against his temples as he tried to remember how he ended up in Mary's apartment. Let's see, they both had about three or four drinks while watching the game. He stopped her from stepping in front of a car. And then...wow. Fred's eyes widened as he remembered their drunken night of passion. Dear God, it was like their honeymoon all over again. But still, it amazed Fred like how easily they had slipped back into old the separation, before the accident... Fred blinked rapidly as he pushed back the painful memories, slipping on his pants and undershirt as he walked into the living room, where he found Mary sitting in the kitchen sipping tea. Fred smiled as he remembered all the mornings he had found like that. He could practically see the boys running around the living room when they were little. "Hey, what are you doing up so early?" Fred frowned as he saw the look on her face. "What wrong?"

Mary wouldn't look up from her tea. "Did you come here for a divorce?"

Fred blinked, a nervous look spreading across his face. "Why would you ask that?"

"Archie called last night. Begging me not to sign the divorce papers." Mary's eyes wavered lightly as she kept her eyes locked on her tea. "You've barely spoken to me since I left. This is your first time in Chicago in over ten years. So I'm only going to ask you this once: Why did you come here, Fred?"

Fred was silent for a moment, his heart twisting up like a pretzel as he struggled to speak. "I told the boys that I was coming to check up on you. On the plane I told myself that I was going to offer to testify. But after I saw you, I realized that I came...that I came here to get you back. I love you Mary," he confessed "I never stopped. I just hate that it took two years for me to realize that. And after tonight, I'd like to think that you still feelings for me. Now you didn't come here because we stopped loving each other," Fred reminded "You came here because we let tragedy drive us apart. And I am asking, begging you," he corrected "for a chance to put our family back together."

"It's been two years, Fred. I can't just pack up and quit my job." Mary felt her eyes swell with tears as she whispered. "No matter how much I want to."

Fred lowered his head slightly, his heart cracking at the truth in her words. "So where do we go from here ?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Archie sat alone in his living room late that night, his head still spinning from his run-in Betty, or Elizabeth, or who or whatever that was. If Polly hadn't shown up when she did...

"So, this plan backfired."

Archie looked up at the sound of Veronica's voice, the New York native walking over and sitting next to him on the couch. "Think that's an understatement. Sorry about Cheryl."

"It's not the first time someone's made wild accusations about my family. Although this is the first time I ever thought they might be true." she confessed in a soft voice "I'm sorry Dilton told everyone about Miss Grundy."

"It's my own fault. I never should've let it happen in the first place," Archie blinked slowly as confessed "Ronnie, I drunk-dialed my mom."

"Archie," Veronica gave him a sympathetic look. "What did you say?"

"I asked not to sign the divorce papers. I don't know why. I'm not even sure I want them to get back together anymore. Why do I keep doing this, Veronica?" Archie asked. "I keep wrecking things."

"Welcome to my life. Everyday it's like I uncover another secret about my family. Another lie." The New York native's voice soften as she confessed "I don't want my mother to be guilty, Archie."

He couldn't blame her. Hermione had been her rock throughout Hiram's case. To imagine her facing jail charges must've been terrifying. "Do you ever wonder what your life would've been like if things were different?"

"Different how?"

"Ever since Miss Grundy left town I've wondered: What if I had moved to Chicago with my mom? Would things my friends, would I be better off?" If he had been in Chicago, he never would've met Miss Grundy. Betty and Jughead could be together without him interfering.

"Archie, I can't answer that for," Veronica answered "But if you had, we wouldn't have met. And that would've been a tragedy. One of epic proportions," she said with a laugh.

Archie managed a light chuckle. "I'm messed up, Veronica."

"We all are Archie," she assured him "And honestly, you less than most."

The young songwriter stared into the raven-haired beauty's eyes, her dark brown orbs soft and comforting. How could she look at him like that, after all his family had put her through?

Veronica's eyes widened slightly as he leaned in close, giving her a soft, fleeting kiss. The New York native smiled as she kissed him back, giving into the shared fire they had tried so long to deny.

As she climbed into his lap, their lips still lustfully intertwined, Archie began to imagine what life with Veronica Lodge might look like: Going to college in New York. Visiting all her favorites shops and sights. Studying music while she went to school for business and fashion. Getting an apartment in Manhattan. Performing in massive stadiums with her in the front row. Backpacking across Europe, taking the beauty of castles in Scotland and the Roman Colosseum. Spring break in Mexico. Christmas in the Swiss Alps. A beautiful dream. One that Archie wanted to make reality.

* * *

After talking to Cheryl, Mickey took a walk around the block, the sharpness of the cold shocking the alcohol out of his system. When he finally came home, his cheeks red and his shoulders shivering, Mickey came across an unexpected sight: Veronica Lodge straddling Archie Andrews on the couch, the both of them fast asleep.

The raven-haired princess rest her head on the brown-eyed twin chest, her arms draped across his shoulders while he rested his head against the wall.

Mickey smiled as he walked over and nudged his arms, gently waking him from his sleep. "For the record, I am very glad you both still have clothes on."

Archie yawned. "What time is it?"

"About one in the morning," Mickey answered "Something tells me New York's missed her curfew."

"She can sleep in my bed," Archie decided, gently picking her up as he rose from the couch, taking a moment to admire her sleeping face. God, she was beautiful even when she was sleeping.

"Fine by me. You can take my bed," Mickey offered "I'll just crash in the attic after I clean some of this mess up"

"Thanks." Archie carried Veronica upstairs and into his room, gently setting her down on his bed and tucking her in, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Sleep tight Ronnie," he whispered.

* * *

Veronica Lodge woke up by mid-morning in a bed that was not her own, trying to remember how she got there. She and Archie had been talking downstairs, they started talking and then...?

The New York native quickly glanced down at herself under the covers, noticing how she was still fully clothed. Okay, so she hadn't slept with Archie. At least, not in the way she usually did after a while party. But where was Archie? the New York native's eyes widened as she spotted the brown-eyed twin in his brother's bed, still fast asleep. Veronica smiled. He hadn't taken advantage her. And why would he? Archie was good. A kind, noble soul. The raven-haired princess smiled as she sat up and climbed out of bed, walking over and placing a kiss on the sleeping musician's cheek.

* * *

 _Archie walked alone in the snow-covered woods in the middle of the night, dressed in nothing more but a blue cardigan, a white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there or how he'd gotten there, all he knew was that he was cold and tired. The brown-eyed twin looked up towards the moonless night sky, a single star illuminating the sea of black of above, when it suddenly disappeared._

 _Archie jumped back as the star suddenly appeared in front of him, a dazzling orb of pure silvery light floating in the air. He didn't know why, but in the presence of that light, made the feeling of the cold not bother him anymore. Archie gasped as the light began to intensify, stopping at the edge of blinding as it transformed into a young woman with long raven hair and playful dark eyes, wearing a sleeveless black gown with a low circular neck, the fabric glistening with what looked like an endless display of comets and shooting stars. Veronica Lodge. Archie's heart raced the raven-haired beauty silently approached him, a soft, teasing smile on her face as she ran a hand across the brown-eyed twin's chest, right before she pushed him into the snow._

 _Archie's eyes widened as Veronica started to laugh, jumping up from the snow as he began to chase her through the woods. The brown-eyed twin scooped a handful of snow and threw it right at her, causing Veronica to let out a yelp as it just missed her, hitting a tree. Archie grunted as Veronica hit him in the stomach, quickly grabbing another handful of snow and returning fire, the snowball hitting a nearby tree and splattering in Veronica's hair, causing her to let out a cry out in surprise._

 _At she attempted to recompose herself, Archie ran across the woods and playfully tackled Veronica into the snow, the two of them laughing like a pair of children on Christmas Day. Archie took a breath as he stared at Veronica's face, long dark locks perfectly contrasting the tiny clumps of snow caught in her hair. The brown-eyed twin's heart raced as Veronica wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling Archie into a deep passionate kiss, the night sky coming alive with a display of shooting stars._

* * *

Archie's eyes snapped open as his dream came to an end, the faint feeling of a woman's lips lingering on his cheek. "Veronica?"

* * *

Mickey woke up late the next morning, his head pounding from two nights of back-to-back drinking and a late night of cleaning, finding his brother standing with Jughead in the kitchen as they finished cleaning what he left behind last night.

"Morning," Archie greeted "How you feeling?"

"Ugh." Mickey winced as the morning sun shined in from the windows. "Where's New York?" he asked, making himself a much needed cup of coffee.

"Gone. She took off about an hour ago," Jughead answered "Head held high as she took the walk of shame."

"Nothing happened Jug," Archie disputed firmly "We talked, we kissed, she spent the night."

"But you two are a thing now, right?"

Archie's cheeks turned red as he fought back a smile, the thought of being in a relationship with Veronica Lodge making him blush. "Maybe."

 _"Brother,"_ Mickey gave Archie a concerned look as he asked _"Does this mean you're over Betty?"_

Archie felt his stomach twist up in knots at the mention of the girl next door. _"Maybe in another life, Betty and I could've had something special. But we missed our chance and I have to accept that. I feel like could have a real future with Veronica. So, I'm going to dive in and not look back."_

 _"_ Guys, I don't speak Scottish," Jughead reminded "What are you guys talking about?"

"Homecoming," Mickey answered quickly "Archie was thinking about asking New York to the dance. We were hoping Betty might help him come up with something nice."

"Hmm." Jughead took a long sip from his coffee. "So, you patch things up with Cheryl last night?"

Mickey scoffed. "Not even close. But I thinks she's done hating on you guys for a while."

"Boys? We're home!"

The three young men jump at the sound of Fred's voice, throwing away the last remains of the party as quick as they could, never once noticing that Fred said "We" and not "I".

Mickey's eyes widened as Fred walked in with a familiar face, one that had not set foot in this house in nearly two years. "Mom?"

Mary smiled. "Hi boys."


	11. Chapter 11: To Riverdale and Back Again

"Mom!" Mickey's face broke into a massive grin as he give Mary a welcoming hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Sweetheart," Mary laughed as she squeezed her son tight "I missed you." The auburn-haired mother locked eyes with the brown-eyed twin. "Hi, Archie."

"Hey...Mom." The young songwriter walked over and gave his mother an awkward hug, a dull pain flaring up in his heart.

Mary let out a soft sigh as she held her child in her arms, pulling away ever so slightly as she glanced at the dark-haired boy. "Hi, Jughead. Did you have a nice birthday?"

"Hey, Mrs. Andrews. It was...memorable." The Southside native answered with a smirk "I'll let you guys talk," he decided, excusing himself as he walked upstairs.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Mickey repeated "Your case-,"

"They have more than enough people to handle things while I'm gone," Mary assured him as the newly reunited Andrews family gathered around the kitchen table. "Besides, we need to talk. After your brother called last night, your father and I realized just how upsetting the thought of us divorcing was," she explained, causing Archie to blush "and after talking things out between the two of us,"

Mickey furrowed his brow as his parents shared a brief glance, his mother's cheeks turning red as his father struggled to suppress a smile.

"I'm going to be around more," Mary announced "I'm going to come visit for Christmas and birthdays. And I thought you two might want to stay with me in Chicago over the summer."

"Totally," Mickey's smile spread from ear to ear "that sounds great, Mom."

"Yeah, sure," Archie agreed in a less enthusiastic tone "Is that the only reason you're here?"

"No, it isn't," Fred confirmed.

"We wanted to tell why we seperated in the first place. First off, it had nothing to do with you boys. Or your father," Mary assured them "I left...because of the baby."

Mickey frowned. "What baby?"

"The baby I was supposed to have," Mary felt her heart began to pound against her chest as she revealed "When you two were thirteen, I got pregnant. With a little girl."

Mickey's eyes widened as he thought back to thirteen: his mother's constant trips to Pop's. The "bugs" she caught while working with Sierra McCoy at the legal clinic.

"We found out about a week before our anniversary. We were so excited. But we wanted to wait until we made it through the first trimester to tell anyone. Your father took me on a weekend trip to the city to celebrate. We were riding back from dinner when, when our cab slid on a patch of black ice. We bumped into a tree and...we lost the baby."

Mary allowed the tears to fall down her cheeks as she went on "I couldn't stop thinking about her after that. Rocking her to sleep at night. Walking her in the park with your father. The two of you trying to get her to say your names," she listed off with a weak laugh "I couldn't escape the thought of we'd lost. So, I went to Chicago to stay with my cousin. I told myself it would just be a few days. But then the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. By the time I realized how much time had passed, I didn't like I had the right to come back. So, I stayed away."

* * *

Betty Cooper walked into the Andrews house later that afternoon, wearing a soft, pastel pink sweater, light wash jeans, sneakers, and a worried look on her face. "How is he?"

"Not good." Jughead jones wore long-sleeved black t-shirt with matching jeans and boots as he stood by the door, glancing over the brown-eyed twin sitting at the kitchen table with his head hanging low, still in the same spot where he learned his mother's shocking truth. "He hasn't said a word since his parents went for a was at least an hour ago. Figured you might be able to get through to him."

The blonde-haired girl tightened the bow in her hair as she walked into the kitchen, the look on her best friend's face as unreadable as an ancient statue as she sat down next to him. "Archie? Are you okay?"

No answer.

"Jughead told me your mom came to visit. What did she say to you?"

Still nothing.

"Arch."

The brown-eyed twin blinked as Betty reached over and took his hand, pulling him out of whatever somber trance he was lost in as he looked from...something on the kitchen table.

"Talk to me," she whispered, the dazed, distant look in his eye making her more and more worried by the second.

Archie stayed silent as he slid a small photo across the table: an old, yet carefully preserved sonogram.

Betty tilted her head as she glanced at it, the image of the small, developing life as cryptic as Archie's silence. "What is this?"

"My little sister." Archie answered in an empty, hollow voice "My mother had a miscarriage when we were little. That's why she left."

"Oh my God," Betty gasped "Archie, I'm so sorry."

Jughead felt his jaw clench up as Betty placed her arm around Archie's shoulder, a twinge of jealousy tainting his concern for his best friend.

But Archie hardly noticed. His head was too busy spinning. For so long, he felt as if part of his parent's separation was his fault. That if he'd been a better son, maybe Mary would've stayed. But it wasn't his fault. He didn't do anything wrong. Now, he didn't know what to feel. The varsity quarterback felt his eyes drift back down to the picture on the table, thinking about what life may've been like if the baby had safely come to term.

Fred and Mary would still be together. Archie's mother would've been a constant presence for the past two years. And the Andrews would have a new addition. A beautiful little girl.

Archie felt his throat clench up as he pictured a little toddler running around the house, the living room covered baby gates, dolls and strollers. Would she look Fred? Or Mary? A mix of both? She'd be two by now. Would she able to say his name? He'd probably sing her to sleep at night. Betty would help him babysit on weekends. Jughead would teach him how to change diapers, like he had to learn with Jellybean. Veronica would spoil her with designer dresses and onesies.

"I would've liked being a big brother."

* * *

Polly and Reggie found Mickey alone at St. Christine's cathedral, long after Sunday Mass had ended, the varsity football captain wearing a dark blue bomber jacket over black hoodie, along with dark jeans and boots, while Polly a soft lavender peacoat and jeans.

"Bro," Reggie winced as his voice echoed in the empty cathedral, his head still poudning from a massive hangover "What are you doing here?"

Mickey said nothing, the teenage construction worker wearing his brown leather jacket over a light grey hoodie, along with light wash jeans and boots, his eyes locked on the stained glass windows behind the pulpit.

"Mickey." Polly became increasingly worried as she saw his eyes, red and puffy with tears. "What's wrong?"

Mickey sniffled as he dried his eyes, taking a shaky breath. "My mom showed up this morning. She finally told us why she left," Mickey felt his voice start to shake as he revealed "She was pregnant. There was an accident and...she lost the baby."

"Oh my God," Polly gasped as she brought a hand to her stomach, the thought of losing a child absolutely terrifying. "That's awful."

Mickey nodded, rubbing his hands together as he stayed silent. For so long, he'd been angry. Angry that his mother had left. Angry that his father never chased after her. Angry that his fell apart without a fight. Angry for not knowing why. Now he knew. At long last, that anger was gone. Now there was just grief. The same grief that drove Mary away. Mickey understood why she left now. The second he saw that sonogram, he couldn't stop thinking about the baby. Would she have dark hair or red hair? Blue eyes or brown eyes? Would she be a daddy's girl or mommy's little helper? Mickey felt his throat start to clench up as he began to imagine what life would've been his little sister had survived. And how different life would be. Mary never would've moved to Chicago. He and Archie would've stayed up all night waiting for their parents to come home with the baby. They'd take turns watching her on weekends. Mickey would've built her a wooden mobile to hang over her crib. He'd read her bedtime stories just like Grandpa Artie did for him. Trying to figure out how to change a diaper with Reggie. Playdates with Polly's twins. Babysitting dates with Cheryl.

Mickey felt a tear slip down his cheek as he croaked out the words. "I would've like being a big brother."

* * *

As Monday morning rolled around, Archie Andrews had only one thing on his mind: Veronica Lodge.

He wanted her. Desperately. Everytime he closed his eyes, he reimagined that kiss they shared that late night, the magical dream that never left his thoughts. Today, he was determined to win her heart, just as she had won his.

The brown-eyed twin nervously prepared for the moment when he and raven-haired princess would meet again, mentally rehearsing what he planned to say over and over, when suddenly, there she was.

Archie's legs filled with lead. His heart pounded against his chest. His ears filled with the beautiful music that she'd inspired. God, she was beautiful. He could stare at her forever. But that wasn't enough anymore. With a steadying breath, Archie forced his legs to move as he made his way across the hall, following her as she headed off to class.

"Ronnie wait up," he called, causing the New York native to slow down so he could match her pace, only for his mind to go completely blank, his heart skipping a beat as he found himself face-to-face with her. "Uh, sorry I didn't call you yesterday. My mom just showed up out of nowhere and things got..intense."

"It's okay, Archie," she assured him with a smile "You don't owe me an explanation."

"Veronica, wait." The young songwriter reached over and took her hand as she attempted to round the corner. "Can we talk? About...what happened?"

The New York native felt her heart wince at the expectant look on his face. "Archie, we had a moment. A beautiful, but fleeting moment."

"You spent the night."

"We crashed. And in separate beds."

"Veronica, I don't regret anything we said that night," Archie stated firmly "or did."

"Neither do I." Veronica paused nervously as she confessed "I think you might be boyfriend worthy."

"I agree," Archie answered in an eager "Let's test that theory. At the Homecoming dance."

Veronica blushed. "Unfortunately, I don't have the emotional bandwidth to explore anything with anyone."

Archie tried to ignore the growing pit swallowing his stomach. "Then can we at least finally sing that duet? I'm performing at the dance and I could really use a partner."

Veronica glanced down at her phone as it went off, quickly reading a text from Betty. "I'm sorry, Archie. But for a million reasons, we're going to have to act like our moment didn't happen."

"I can't act like it didn't happen," Archie insisted, his heart anxiously speeding up as he confessed "Ronnie, that song you heard me playing, the one with the Latin rift. That's about you. I wrote that song for you."

The New York native stood in awestruck at the young musician's recent revelation, his eyes glistening with that adoring look that always made her heart stop. For weeks, she had tried to visualize the faces of the couple that was meant to dance to that song. Now she could see their faces clearly: Hers and Archie's.

"Ronnie, I have been crazy about you from the moment I met you," Archie told her "You walked into Pop's and my whole world changed. You call me Archiekins, and I can't help but smile," he said with a brief grin "even on my worse days. And I know I'm your type," he acknowledged reluctantly "I'm not famous. I don't come from a family of millionaires-,"

"Stop." Veronica reached over and grabbed his arm as his voice filled with self-doubt. "Most of the boys I've been with have never treated as anything more than toy. And since they didn't mean anything to me, I didn't care. But you...what I feel for you Archie, I can't explain. But it is deeper than anything I have ever felt before. A real, intimate connection. One that has nothing to do with your pedigree or your wallet size. And everything to do with this." Veronica removed her hand from his arm and placed it over his heart, the life-giving muscle skipping a beat at the touch. "This, Archie Leo Andrews, is what makes you special to me. As precious as your weight in gold. And I would love nothing more than to go with to the dance and see how deep this goes. But I can't. Not now. And if you really care about me the way I think you do, the way I know you do," she corrected "then you'll wait until I'm ready to dive in with you."

* * *

Josie McCoy walked alone in the halls as she made her way to homeroom, listening to music on her phone when someone snuck from behind and grabbed her, causing her to yelp.

"Hey beautiful," Reggie Mantle smiled as he buried his nose in her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist with gentle squeeze. "What you listening to?" The varsity football captain took one of the lead singer's headphones and placed it in his ear, his smile widening as he heard the familiar lyrics of Beyonce's _Love on Top_ "Taking some cues from Queen B before you dethrone her, Queen J?"

"Reggie," Josie giggled as he left a trail of kisses from her cheek to her neck. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you an update on our Homecoming plans," he informed her "The limo should be my place at seven, so I should be able to get you around seven thirty-,"

"Limo? Reggie, it's Homecoming," Josie reminded "Not the prom."

"Go big or go home. That's the Reggie Mantle way." The leader of Riverdale Bulldogs' confident demeanor wavered as he confessed "I just want to show you how much you mean to me."

"You already have. For the past two weeks, I've seen a side of you that I didn't even know existed. Someone who is loyal, ambitious and deep." Josie smiled as she reached over and took her hand. "That's why I asked you to Homecoming. So will you please dial it down and cancel the limo?"

"I would, but then Moose and Mickey would lose their share of the deposit."

Josie just laughed.

* * *

"Teddy?"

Mickey Andrews turned away from his locker as he heard a familiar voice, coming face to face with only woman he had ever loved.

"Cheryl," the blue-eyed twin straightened up as he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to apologize." The gothic heroine swallowed a growing lump in her throat as she confessed "After taking a very reflective Sunday, I realized that sending a mob of raging teenagers to your house to vent my roaring heartache was...wrong. And I'm sorry."

Mickey paused briefly as he asked. "Why did you do it?"

"I wanted you to stop trying to win me back."

Mickey felt as if he'd been punched in the gut.

"But not for the reason you think. I wanted you to stop...because I could only say no for so long." Cheryl felt the faint flutter of butterflies in her stomach at the look on Mickey's face. "I meant what I said before. I don't trust you. But that doesn't mean I don't love you. If you knew our fathers were at odds, why didn't you just tell me?"

"I wanted to. I was going to. But I should've just done that from the start. Rosie," Mickey felt his throat turn as dry as a desert as he asked "is there anyway we could start over? The Homecoming dance is this week. We could go together," he suggest quickly "Reggie and I rented a limo-,"

"I already made plans to go with Polly," Cheryl interrupted "Get her house. Keep her in touch with her friends."

Mickey felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster. "Oh."

"But a limo? That's certainly an opportunity worth considering," Cheryl gave her Teddy Bear a small smile as she asked. "Think you boys could make room for two more?"

Mickey smirked. "Only if you save me a dance."

"Deal."

* * *

"Mary Andrews!" Sierra McCoy grinned from ear to ear at the sight of her childhood best friend, the two of them sharing a warm hug as they reunited in the mayor's office. "It is so good to see you again."

"You too." The auburn-haired mother smiled as she sat down in front of the Mayor's desk. "You have certainly come a long way from the Riverdale High debate team, madame mayor."

"So have you, Mrs. Assistant District Attorney of Chicago. So, does you being back in town mean that you and Fred are going to give it another shot?"

"Maybe." Mary blushed at the sudden mention of her mention of her husband "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"I need your help convicting Hiram Lodge."

Sierra felt a nervous chill run down her spine. "It's been a while since I've practiced law in a courtroom. And being mayor keeps me pretty busy."

"Relax Sierra, no one's asking you to take a chair. I just need information."

"On what?"

"SoDale," Mary answered "My son, Mickey seems to believe that Hiram Lodge bought the Drive-In land. So I did a little digging and it turns out, the land was originally owned by the city. Which means any bid for the land would have to come through you."

Sierra kept her face neutral as her heart sped up. "Did your son inform you that the buyers of the SoDale land insisted on total anonymity until he or she decides to reveal themselves?"

"Are you aware that if mysterious buyer is revealed convicted of felony charges you could face charges as well?" Mary asked "Especially if it is proven that you were aware of said felonies in a court of law?"

The mayor of Riverdale raised an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, Sierra. I'm warning you. I'm warning you," the auburn-haired lawyer repeated "of what will happen if the world finds out that you took Hiram's money. You could lose your office. Your reputation. Your daughter."

Sierra felt her calm demeanour fade away as the mention of her child, the thought of seeing Josie past behind prison glass making him sick to his stomach. "I didn't have a choice."

Mary felt a chill run down her spine at the frightened look on her old friend's face. "Did he threaten you? Your family?"

"No. Nothing like that. He just knew I was backed into a corner," Sierra said in a self-loathing tone "Riverdale is dying. When the Blossoms shut down their maple factory, this town lost the core of its financial stability and its main source of income. And now, the Southside is haven for criminals. The Westside is turning into a ghost town. The only business making a constant stream of revenue is Pop's. And a town cannot survive on burgers and milkshakes. So I sold the Drive-In. And used the Lodge's bribe to pay off the city's debt."

Mary gave her friend as sympathetic look. She had heard so many stories like this. Good, innocent people forced to do Hiram's dirty work simply because of fear or a lack of options. "You need to testify."

"No."

"Sierra-,"

"I said no," the Mayor repeated "Do you have any idea what these people will do to me if I talk?"

"Do you have any ideas what will happen if you don't?" Mary reminded "I understand that you're scared-,"

"No you don't!" Sierra snapped "I am not some blue collar worker who bought the wrong stock. I am a mayor. The first woman to ever hold this office and first African-American over twenty years. Do you have any idea what that means for my daughter and every young woman like here?"

"Do you have any idea how hurt your daughter will be if I'm forced to send you to prison?"

Sierra felt her fear turn into anger. "It was wonderful to see you again, Mary. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

* * *

Mickey walked with Archie into the courtyard outside, a small smirk on the blue-eyed twin's face as they headed off to join their friends for lunch.

"What are you so happy about?" Archie asked.

"I talked to Cheryl. She said she wants to go to the dance with me."

Nice. This means you guys are back together?"

"Baby steps. How'd things go with New York?"

"Baby steps. Hey Betty," the brown-eyed twin greeted as the two of them sat down "Thanks for letting me sing at the dance. My mother wants to hear me sing before-whoa," Archie frowned at the uncertain look on his best friend's face "Do you not want me to sing?"

"No. No," she repeated quickly "It's just, the dance is supposed to be...fun. And your songs-,"

"They make you want to slit your wrists," Jughead stated bluntly "But in a good way."

"In an amazing way," Veronica praised "Don't worry, B. Archie and I are singing together and we're thinking about doing some upbeat covers."

"We are?"

The New York native glanced over at Archie as he gave her a curious look. "Aren't we?"

Mickey chuckled. _"Looks like that baby step wasn't so little after all."_

"Listen up ragamuffins."

The high schoolers looked up from their lunches as Cheryl Blossom made her presence known.

"And Mickey," she added with a smile "I don't say this often, so pay attention: I'm sorry," she confessed, earning a surprised expression from everyone but Mickey "My interference in Jughead's birthday party was well beyond the boundaries of my usual mischief. And I apologize."

Veronica gave her friend a comforting smile. "Apology accepted, Cherry. Believe me, I understand the need to breed chaos to avoid emotional pain."

Cheryl grinned. "Well, as an olive branch, I am inviting you and Betty to join me, Josie, Midge and Polly on the quest for the perfect Homecoming dress. My treat. Toodles."

"Cheryl, wait up." Mickey got up from his seat as the leader of the Rivervixens headed back to her table, catching up with her in the middle of the courtyard. "It's about Polly," Mickey's voice lowered to a whisper as he asked "I need you to keep an eye on her."

"I am."

That was her main concern everytime she walked back into Thornhill. Making sure that her late brother's fiance didn't end up on the wrong side of Penelope's wrath.

Cheryl tilted her head at the look on Mickey's face. "What is it?"

"Polly thinks your parents killed Jason."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Something Jason told her that stuck. Cheryl," Mickey paused nervously as he asked "Is it possible, that your mother-?"

"No. No," she repeated quickly "My mother would never do that. She needed Jason alive."

"Alive for what?"

"My parents didn't get married because they loved each other. They got married because they were having me and my brother. When my grandparents found out my mother was pregnant, they forced my parents to get married. And to keep the Blossom family free from divorce, they made them sign an iron-clad prenup where the first one to file for divorce gets nothing. That's why mommy started being nice to Jason when he started playing football. She thought if he got drafted-,"

"He'd take care of her after she left your dad," Mickey finished. "That's why she wants the babies, isn't it? If she custody, she can get welfare."

"And control the twins' inheritance," Cheryl added "Jason's trust fund. Two million dollars."

 _That's enough reasons to kill,_ Mickey thought. "Cheryl, we need to Polly out of trouble. If your mother finds out what she's up to-,"

"I know." Cheryl felt her heart skip a beat as she remembered all the beatings Penelope had put her through, the thought of the same things happening to Polly making her sick to her stomach. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, there is. My mom's in town," Mickey informed "how'd you like to meet her?"

* * *

"Hello Hermione. It's been a while."

The raven-haired mother felt a chill run down her spine as she heard a familiar voice, looking up from her desk in the Andrews Construction office to see the auburn-haired lawyer walking in. "Mary," she greeted with a forced smile "What are you doing here?"

"Just paying a visit to my boys. Fred mention you were working with him."

"For him," Hermione corrected quickly. "I'm just the bookkeeper."

"Right. I remember when Fred first got this place," Mary recalled, looking over the office "Hasn't changed a bit. It's a nice cover," she covered "Getting a job with the people who work for you. Very _Undercover Boss."_

"Excuse me?"

"I Lodge Industries bought SoDale."

"Really?" Hermione felt a cold chill run down her spine as she kept her face neutral. "And just where would you get an idea like that?"

"From a reliable source."

"You mean your son," Hermione presumed "Funny. I never would've guess Mickey would be such a little mommy's boy. You're only half right, Mary. Yes, my family bought this land, but not through Lodge Industries. I bought it. With my own money."

The auburn-haired lawyer gave the former New York socialite a disbelieving stare. "You haven't done an honest day's work since Hiram whisked you away in his Firebird. Where did you get the money?"

"From my brother," Hermione lied. She knew Vincero would back her story. No matter what happened, she could always count on her brother "He gave it to me. After you put my daughter and I out of house and home. Why are you so obsessed with destroying my family, Mar?" she asked "Revenge? For a few harmless pranks back in high school?"

"I am prosecuting your husband because it is my job. Just like pressing charges against your brother was my job. Nothing more. Nothing less. And for the record, I wouldn't call what you put through 'harmless pranks'."

"I may have stepped over the line once or twice," Hermione confessed, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips as she remembered the dark satisfaction she got out torturing Mary during their high school days "But maybe I might've been nicer to you if you hadn't kept trying to steal Fred everytime my back was turned."

"Now who's holding onto high school grudges?" Mary asked "Hermione, the only reason Fred and I found each other soon was because you treated him like dirt."

"If I'm such a little she-devil, then why was your husband fawning over me the second I walked into town?" Hermione smiled as she saw the anger flare up in the auburn-haired lawyer's eyes "You know Mary, maybe you should've spent a little more time paying attention to your husband and a little less time on your knees praying."

"Well, you would know all about being on your knees, wouldn't you?" Mary felt a small smirk form across her face at the anger in Hermione's eyes "I assume you can prove you legally bought this land in court?"

* * *

Archie Andrews followed Veronica into the science classroom, a curious look on the brown-eyed twin's face. "Not that I'm complaining Ronnie, but why the change of heart?"

"Because I'm hoping you'll say yes to the favor I'm about to ask."

"Hey, if it's going to help you, I'm in."

Veronica felt her heart race as he spoke to her in a low, husky voice, standing dangerously close as he tried to take hand. "Archie-,"

"Did I tell you I had a dream about you last night?" he whispered "I was walking through the woods when you found me. You were glowing, Veronica. Like a...like a fairy and a star all rolled up into one," he described in a deeply adoring tone "You looked into my eyes and you smiled. Right before you pushed me into the snow," he added causing the two of them to laugh "and then we started playing in the snow, right before we kissed. And the whole sky lit up with comets and shooting stars. That's what I see when you kiss me, Veronica. A sky full of shooting stars."

Veronica's face was almost as red as Archie's hair. "You are really making it hard to ask a favor right now."

"Just ask."

"Remember Mickey's theory that my father had Jason Blossom killed? I'm starting to think he might be right. And I think he used Jughead's father to do it."

"FP?"

Veronica nodded. "He's done my father's dirty work before. He paid the Southside Serpents to lower the price of the Drive-In so he could buy it."

"Veronica, FP Jones is one of my dad's oldest friends," Archie reminded "They've been best friends since high school."

"And Clifford Blossom is the one who sent my father to prison. Archie, my mother is confident that the charges he facing, won't stick. That he will be home in a matter of weeks," she emphasized "I'd like to know who my father really is before we let him back into our lives. All we'd have to do is look around his trailer. Betty's mom invited the FP and Jughead over for dinner tomorrow. We can look around and-,"

"Stop," Archie snapped in a stern voice "Veronica, FP Jones is my father's best friend. And the father of my best friend. For the past three months, he's been doing everything he can to clean up his act. And you want me to tie him to a murder? So Jughead can lose the last bit of family he has left?" he asked "I'm sorry, Veronica. You mean a lot to me, you really do. But I won't stab my best friend in the back." And he walked out, without another word.

* * *

"Well I'll be." FP Jones smiled as he answered the door to his trailer to an old, familiar face "Saint Mary, back in Riverdale."

"Hey FP." The auburn-haired lawyer smiled as the leader of the Southside Serpents pulled her into a warm hug. "I hardly recognized you without the beard."

"It's a bit of a new development. Come on in." FP stepped aside as his old friend inside "So, how long are you in town for?"

"Just a few days," Mary answered as she looked around the trailer, the small space cleaner than she could remember. "I heard Gladys and Jellybean. How are you holding up?"

FP winced at the mention of his estranged wife and daughter "It's been rough, but I'm putting the pieces back together. I heard one of those hotshot lawyer trying to keep Hiram Lodge behind."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. You know John Muggs?"

"Of course. The poor guy tried to off himself two weeks ago."

"It wasn't suicide. John was one of key testimonies," Mary informed "the same day he went to the hospital, a suspected hitman for Vincero Santiago came to Riverdale and left the same night."

FP wasn't surprised. Vincero and Hiram Lodge had been close long before the mobster married the drug lord's sister. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need your help. The only reason my bass gave me time off is because I told him that I could find evidence proving Hiram Lodge has been doing business behind bars." Mary informed him "Mickey thinks the Lodges are the ones behind SoDale. And last time I checked, the Serpents still own the Southside."

"You want me to testify," FP realized "and just what am I supposed to tell the courts when they ask how I know the business deals of a suspected mobster?"

"I can protect you," Mary promised "I can get you a deal. Nothing you say in court can be used against you."

"And what about my family? The Serpents can look after Jughead, but Gladys? Jellybean?"

"I'll have them put in witness protection."

"Assuming they'll even want to go. This isn't high school, Mary. The Serpents aren't big time gunrunners anymore. We can barely afford to stay in the game. And Hiram? Now he runs the game," FP emphasized "Him and Vincero. When Hiram moved here, the only street cred he had was a distant connection to a dying mob family. And now he is one of the most dangerous men in the country."

"You're right. Hiram is dangerous," Mary confirmed "and if don't get something solid on him soon, that animal is going to walk free. And settle down right in your backyard. Do you really want that madman in the same zip code as your son?" she asked "Now I am asking you as a friend: Please, help me keep this man in prison and away from our sons."

"I want to," FP answered truthfully "I really do. But these days I'm just and big fish in a small pond. And Hiram Lodge is a shark."

* * *

At the beginning of the school year, Betty convinced Mickey to sign up for the Homecoming committee. If he had known how crucial this dance would be to keeping Cheryl in his life, he wouldn't have made so much of a fuss over building the stage. The high school baseball star walked over to the girl next door as she hung a string of lights across the ceiling of auditorium, the blue-eyed twin wearing a green and white flannel shirt over a white t-shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms along with light wash jeans and boots. "Hey, Betts. Have you talked to Polly at all?"

"Yeah. She's still looking for proof that the Blossoms killed Jason," Betty whispered "but she promised to come home soon."

"Polly's leaving Thornhill?"

The two next door neighbors turned around as Josie spoke, a nervous look on her face.

"Yeah. She's coming home after the dance," Betty confirmed.

"That's...great. Mickey, can I talk to you for a minute? I have some concerns about the stage." The leader of the Pussycats grabbed the blue-eyed twin's hand and dragged him into an empty corner of the gym, speakinging to him in a hushed, intense tone. "Polly cannot leave Thornhill."

"Why not? Josie, Penelope is dangerous. Do you have any idea what will happen to Polly if she stays there?"

"Do you have any idea what will happen to Cheryl if she leaves? When Polly moved in with the Lodges, Penelope strangled Cheryl within an inch of her life," Josie reminded "What do you think she'll do when Polly moves out?"

Mickey's heart pounded like thunder. His blood crackled like lightning. His eyes saw nothing but red. "If she hurts one hair on Cheryl's head,"

"Mickey, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he hissed.

"Mick."

The blue-eyed twin turned around as he heard his brother's voice, a confused look on Archie's face. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah," Mickey huffed, taking a breath to calm his nerves "Yeah, sure."

"Are you alright?" Archie asked, noticing the upset look on his brother's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. "I'm just...trying to get this stage finished," Mickey lied "Josie's breathing down my neck about it. So, what's up?"

Mickey wasn't fine, Archie knew that. But he also knew that his brother would talk to him when he was ready. "It's Veronica. She thinks her dad hired FP to kill Jason Blossom."

"Huh."

"Huh?" Archie repeated "What do you mean, huh? Mickey, FP is not a killer."

"Yeah, he is. Archie, FP was with Dad and Sheriff Keller in Iraq," Mickey reminded "they were some the first wave of Army Rangers in the Middle East after 9-11 didn't see combat?"

"But that doesn't mean he killed Jason."

"I'm not saying he did," Mickey stated "I'm just saying it's possible. But if FP did kill Jason, he and Jughead would probably be in Toledo by now, not hanging out in a town that just went twenty years without murder. Look, I've got bigger things to worry about: I invited Cheryl over for dinner."

"Really?"

Mickey nodded. "Figured if I letting her meet mom would let her know how much she means to me, get us back on track. Just let do me a favor? Don't mention Jason."

"Yeah, sure. Do you think she meant it?" Archie asked "Being around more?"

Mickey took note at the sensitive look on his brother's face. "Yeah, I do. When I was with Mom in Chicago, things started off rocky. But then the anger management kicked in, I started going to Mass with her, soon it felt like she never left." Mickey smiled as the memories ran through his mind: going to baseball games at Wrigley. Staying up watching up on each other's lives. "Mom loves us, Archie. I know it. And soon, you'll know it too."

* * *

Mary stood alone in the kitchen early that evening, sipping on a glass of Irish whiskey as she looked her case files. Hiram had his allies terrorizing witnesses all across the country. And while they had proof of irregularities in his finances, it wasn't enough to get a conviction. Not when the man had entire army of lawyers at his disposal. But Mary wasn't giving up without a fight. Not when that man was trying to bring his chaos into her sons' backyard.

"Hey."

The auburn-haired lawyer looked up from her work at the sound of Fred's voice, the construction worker smile causing her to blush. "Hi."

"Think the world's most brilliant, beautiful lawyer could take a break to enjoy these?"

"Fred," Mary's smile widened as he revealed a large bouquet of red, yellow, and orange roses. "They're beautiful." The red-headed mother took the flowers in her hands and brought them to her face, taking in their sweet scent. "But I thought we said we were going to take things slow."

"We are taking things slow," he whispered, his breath tickling her neck as he stepped closer "You're going to visit me, I'm going to visit you. And when your lease is up, you come home."

"Colt," Mary laughed as he started to kiss her neck, the erotic sensation turning her face as red as her hair.

"Oh my God."

The parents jumped away from each other as their sons walked in the back door, the brown-eyed twin's face locked in a state of absolute shock, while Mickey wore a massive grin.

"So, this is why you two held off on the divorce."

"Yeah." Mary didn't dare look her children in the eye "You boys must have questions."

Mickey got straight to the point. "Are you moving back home?"

"Not yet, sweetie. But we are going to start seeing each other again. The lease for my apartment is up three months and after that, we'll see."

Mickey couldn't be happier. He and Cheryl were mending their relationship, they were going to the Homecoming and his family was finally pulling itself back together.

Archie couldn't believe his ears. For so long, he'd hoped that his mother might one day return, only to lose hope once Fred started seeing Hermione. Now that it was happening, it didn't seem possible.

Fred quickly cleared his throat. "Anyway, neither of us had time to cook, so it's takeout tonight. What are you guys hungry for?"

"Uh," Archie blinked as he struggled to answer "Chinese, I guess."

"So orange chicken, scallion pancakes and veggie dumplings?" Mary suggested.

"You might want to add a tofu stir fry to that," Mickey suggested.

"Since when do you eat tofu?"

"I don't." Mickey's smiled widened as there was knock at the front door "She does." The blue-eyed twin answered and walked back into the kitchen a moment later, holding hands with a beautiful red-haired girl in a snow white cable-knit sweater dress, with a bright red belt and matching red velvet boots.

"Mom, this is,"

"Cheryl Blossom." Mary finished with a warm smile "How could I forget the girl who saved my little boy's life?" she asked, causing Cheryl to blush "But I thought you two broke up."

"We did but we talked things out, and now we're giving it another shot."

"Seems to be a lot of that going around," Mickey commented.

"Speaking of starting over, your father has something he wants to say to you."

Fred cleared his throat as Mary jabbed her elbow into his ribs. "I should've told you about Clifford Blossom messing with our business. You have gone above and beyond since you started working for me," he praised "and I should've had more faith in you. I'm sorry, son."

"I probably could have handled things better when I found out. I'm sorry too, Dad." After a moment of silence, Mickey asked. "We don't have to hug now do we?"

* * *

Dinner went better than expected. Mary gave Cheryl a list of animal reserves she could intern with. Cheryl admired how Mickey's went from a housewife to an assistant district attorney in such a short time. Then Mary brought up how Mickey reacted to Cheryl saving at Sweetwater River all those years ago.

"He was convinced that there were mermaids in the river after that," she went ont, causing Mickey to blush "Everyday for the rest of the summer, he would leave a message in a bottle, hoping that it would coax to come out so he could see you again."

Mickey lowered her head as Cheryl laughed, his face turning as red as his red. "For the record, I was only four."

"Well, I think it's adorable that you wrote me love letters, Teddy Bear."

"You call him Teddy Bear?" Mary laughed "I used to call him Baby Bear when he was little."

 _It's official,_ Mickey thought _I cannot get any more embarrassed._ "Archie, kill me. Just take the sledgehammer out of the garage and put me out of our misery."

Archie said nothing, the brown-eyed silently picking at his food while his free hand kept shifting in and out of a tight fist. Everyone was just so...happy.

"Can we change the subject please?" Mickey requested "Like, Homecoming. Are you staying in town for the dance, mom?"

"I don't think so, sweetie. Things are pretty busy back work."

 _Typical,_ Archie thought _She only has time for us when it's convenient._

"Archie," Mary tilted her head as she noticed how silent her son was "Are you going to the dance?"

"Yeah. Betty's even letting me perform a couple songs."

"I wish I could see it," Mary said with a small smile "Your Grandpa Theo would be so proud. Are you taking Betty to the dance?"

Archie felt his jaw clench up at his mother's request, remembering the night when his best friend had him pinned against the kitchen counter, trying to steal a forbidden kiss. "Betty and I just friends, Mom. She's dating Jughead."

"I didn't know that."

"I know you didn't."

After hearing the faint edge in his brother's voice, Mickey knew. One wrong move, and Archie was going to pop.

"And no, I don't know who I'm taking yet."

"You could ask Veronica," Cheryl suggested, causing Mickey and Fred to flinch.

"Veronica Lodge?" Mary repeated "Hermione Lodge's daughter?"

Archie raised an eyebrow at the tone in his mother's voice. "She's performing with me at the Homecoming dance."

"I wouldn't get too close to that girl Archie," Mary warned "Her family is dangerous."

Archie's heart started pounding. His blood burned like fire. His eyes saw nothing but red. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't judge my friends. You don't get to judge my friends," Archie repeated "You don't know my friends and you don't know me!"

"Archie," Fred gave son a warning stare "calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Archie shouted, slamming his fist on the table "You two might be able to act like the last two years didn't happen, but I can't! Do you have any idea how many hours I spent in front of the phone waiting for you to call?" Archie asked Mary "How many meals I wouldn't eat because you didn't make them? How many times Betty and Mickey had to literally drag me out of bed when all I wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry everytime I woke up and remembered you weren't here? That," Archie's voice broke as he jabbed a finger in his mother's face "that is what you did to me. For _two years!_ And you want me to forget that? Pretend like we're some big, happy family? After what you put us through?" Archie took a shaky breath as a lump formed in his throat "I am sorry that you lost the baby. But that doesn't give you the right to abandon your family." And he marched out, slamming the back door behind him, leaving his mother in tears.

Archie into Pop's later that evening, the brown-eyed twin's face bright red from cold, anger and heartache. The varsity football player collapsed into the nearest empty booth, wringing his freezing fingers together as his hands shook. He had never spoken to his mother like that before. He had never spoken to anyone like that before.

* * *

"Archie?"

The young singer and songwriter looked up as Veronica Lodge walked over, the New York native wearing a black fur jacket over a light grey turtleneck dress that stopped just below the knee, along with a pair of black heels. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Oh, Archiekins." Veronica gave him a sympathetic smile as she sat down on the opposite end of the booth "You're a terrible liar. Now why don't you stop burying your emotions and tell me what's wrong."

Archie felt a sliver of a smile tug at his lips at the playful tone in her voice. "My mother's back in town. She said she wants spend time with us. She's even talking about giving my dad a second chance. I should be happy. But I just feel... _angry,"_ he confessed with a borderline snarl "I yelled at her, Veronica. I bit her head off. Why would I do that?"

"Because she's your mother. You thought that you could count on her no matter what. That she would be there for you forever. Until she wasn't. You've spent the past two years wondering if you ever really knew her in the first place. And now you don't know how you'll ever trust her again." Veronica gave him a sad smile "Takes one to know one, Archiekins."

"Figured we'd find you here."

Archie and Veronica looked up to see Mickey and Cheryl walked in, the blue-eyed twin wearing his green field jacket over his flannel shirt while Cheryl wore her red cloak as they slid into the booth, Mickey next to Archie and Cheryl beside Veronica.

"How you feeling?" Mickey asked.

"Terrible." Archie let out a deep breath as he covered his face with his hands. "I can't believe I said that stuff to Mom."

"I can. No one was more hurt than you were when she left, Archie-Boy. Except maybe Dad," Mickey corrected "all things considered. You've been carrying that hurt around for the last past two years. We should've known there'd be some mad buried under all that sad. I should've known," he said with a hint of guilt. He knew Mary's return had put his brother on edge, he just wished he'd known how bad it truly was. "Point is, you needed to let that hurt out and you did. Now you need to move on and start making things better between you and Mom."

"I can't." Archie's voice began to drip with guilt. "Ever since Jason's funeral, I've been trying to call Mom at least once a week. And when I did, it felt like my heart was being squeezed out of my chest, until I finally hung up the phone. And when she finally comes to visit, I act like the world's worst son. Why would she want anything to do with me after that?

"That's easy, because she's our mom," Mickey answered simply "and because I said way worse after I found out about Marcus."

* * *

"Don't do this." Fred stood with Mary in his bedroom, watching her hastily pack her bags. "Don't go, Grace."

"It's for the best." the auburn-haired lawyer lowered her voice as she confessed "I never should've come back here."

"You're wrong." Fred grabbed her wrist as she attempted to pick up her suitcase "Our boys need you. I need you."

Mary felt her heart twist up in knots at the look in his eyes. "He hates me, Colt. Our son hates me."

"Archie does not hate you. He's just hurting."

"Can you blame him? I abandoned him, Fred. Just like I abandoned Mickey. And you," she added shameful voice "You deserve better than that. You deserve better than me."

"Mary. Mary!" Fred followed her downstairs as she headed for the door, only to run into Mickey, Archie and Cheryl as they walked in.

Mickey's eyes widened as he noticed the bag in his mother's hands. "You're leaving."

"I...I told you that I couldn't stay long," Mary reminded, trying to craft the response "I have to get back to work."

"No you don't." Archie felt his heart start to pound against his chest as he spoke "Mom, I am so sorry about what I said. Throwing the baby in your face like that..It wasn't right."

"Neither was me staying away from two years. Archie," Mary's voice wavered slightly "I am so sorry for what I put you through. All of you."

"I know you are. Mom, I don't want you to go back to Chicago," Archie confessed "I want you to stay. I want us to be a family again."

Mary let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, her eyes filling to the brim with happy tears.

"Stay for the Homecoming dance," he requested "You and Dad can have a date night, you can hear me sing."

"You can tell me more baby stories about Mickey," Cheryl added.

"Please don't," the blue-eyed twin begged.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Fred commented, taking his wife's hand.

"I'd love to, boys. I really would," Mary emphasized "But I can't. The only reason my boss let me come here in the first place is because I told him coming to Riverdale would help me find some new evidence in Hiram Lodge's case."

Mickey felt a knot form in his stomach as he got an idea. "So, if you had some new evidence in the case, you could stay? Like...a new witness?"

Mary raised an eyebrow at the nervous tone in her son's voice. "Michael, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Only if Cheryl promises not to get angry."

The scarlet bombshell gave her boyfriend a curious look. "And why would I get upset, Theodore?"

"Because it's connected to why we broke up. The day Vincero Santiago went after Mom, Clifford Blossom asked for my help in getting the SoDale land. I wasn't even sure I was going to take it. Until Archie called me and told me that Vincero was Hermione's brother. Then I realized he could help keep Mom put Hiram Lodge behind bars."

"By providing private security," Fred realized, remembering the paper Clifford brought for him to sign.

"That, and because...he's the one who called Mom about Hiram embezzling money," Mickey revealed.

"What?" Cheryl's eyes widened. "Why?"

"I don't know. He just said that Hiram were some rivals."

"That's an understatement. Back in the day, Cliff was the only person who hated Hiram as much as I did," Fred divulged "For sixteen years, Cheryl's father was the undisputed king of Riverdale High. Then Hiram showed up, throwing his uncle Vito's money around like he won the lottery. Drove Cliff nuts."

"But why call Mom?" Archie asked "She hasn't been a lawyer that long, why trust her to put Hiram away?"

"Because he thought I'd make it personal," Mary answered "When I was in high school, Hermione Lodge used to bully me. Brutally. When I was seventeen, she had the cheerleading squad toss me out of the girls' locker room wearing nothing but a towel."

"My God," Mickey gasped.

"Ancient history. But it's the reason I did everything I could to not be one of Hiram's prosecutors," Mary explained "But after being one dead witness away from sending Vincero Santiago to prison, the district attorney figured I was the best for the job. Clifford Blossom is the CEO of a international company. If he testifies that Hiram Lodge has been embezzling money, it could be the ace in the hole we need to convict Hiram."

"You'll be able to convict him on a lot more than that," Mickey promised "Mom, when Hiram was arrested, the FBI destroyed everything he had ever built. If he found out that Clifford Blossom sicked the dogs loose-,"

Cheryl didn't need him to finish. "There's a good chance Hiram Lodge had my brother killed."

* * *

"So, how'd things go with your mom?"

Archie lay awake in his bed later that night, staring up the ceiling as he talked with Jughead. Mickey decided to give him a break from the couch, offering to sleep in the attic.

"A little messy, but we made some progress," Archie answered "How'd dinner with your dad go?"

"Good. Really good," the young novelist repeated "He shaved. Which is the equivalent of tectonic plates shifting. I was...actually thinking about living with him again."

Archie felt a nervous pit form in the stomach as he remembered his talks with Mickey and Veronica. "Because he shaved?"

"And stopped drinking. And has not missed a day of work since your dad hired him," Jughead listed off.

"Don't you think you should slow down a bit first?" Archie suggested quickly "I mean, I want you to be happy Jug, but shouldn't you wait until you're sure he's back on track?"

"No way. I'm telling you man, something has changed," Jughead insisted "Archie, he asked to see my work. My articles on the Jason Blossom case."

Archie was really getting nervous now. "He did?"

"Yeah. Even asked me who I thought I killed Jason Blossom."

That was the final nail in the coffin. "I'm going for a run," Archie announced quickly, throwing on a pair of shorts and a hoodie.

Jughead chuckled. "You are a terrible liar, Archie Andrews. Let me guess: Off to a late night rendezvous with certain raven-haired princess named Veronica Lodge?"

Archie's face stayed solemn as he laced up his shoes. "Something like that."

* * *

Archie stayed silent as he softly closed his bedroom door, praying to God that his parents wouldn't hear him trying to sneak out. Fred could sleep like a log after a long day's work, but Mary was a very light sleeper. The brown-eyed twin tentatively tiptoed down into the living room, where he saw a sight he certainly wasn't expecting. "Mom? What are you dong up?"

"I could ask you the same thing" Mary sat alone at the living room table, wearing a fuzzy cream-colored robe, with a series of legal papers in front of her.

"I...couldn't sleep. Thought I'd go for a run." Archie tilted his head as he glanced at his mother's documents "What is all this?"

"Work. Taking down Hiram Lodge is going to be hard. Even if Clifford does agree to testify."

"Mom, what happened to you and Hermione...I had no idea."

"It's not something I like to talk about. Are you sure you want to go for a run?" Mary asked, glancing at the clock "It's almost midnight."

"Mom, it's okay. I'm just going around the block. I'll be back in like, twenty minutes."

"Alright. But I'm going to wait up until you get back," Mary specified. "Archie?"

The brown-eyed twin looked over his shoulder as his mother spoke.

"I love you."

For the first time in two years, he actually believed it. "I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Veronica Lodge woke up late the next morning, hurrying out of bed as there was a knock at the door. "Archie?" The New York native's eyes widened as the brown-eyed twin marched into her apartment, pacing back and forth across the living room, like a cage lion on display at the zoo.

"I'll do it." he said, after finishing two more laps "I know where FP keeps the spare key for his trailer. I can get you inside."

"So this isn't a booty call," Veronic crossed her arms suspiciously as she asked "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Jughead. He's been burned by FP so many times, Ronnie. If you've right," Archie's voice became caught in his throat "If FP really did kill Jason, it'll kill Jughead. Veronica," the brown-eyed twin looked the raven-haired princess in the eye. "If we do this, Jughead can never know."

"Or Betty," she agreed "They wouldn't understand."

They two of them stood in silence for a moment, praying to God that their best friends would never know what they were about to do.

* * *

Archie silently closed the back door as he crept back inside, finding his mother passed out at the kitchen table.

"12:35."

The brown-eyed twin jumped as his brother walked back down the steps, wearing only a white tank top and grey pajama pants.

"You could set your watch by her." Mickey couldn't the number of times he found his mother like this in Chicago. Tapped out from burning the candle at both ends, fast asleep by 12:35 everynight. "Where'd you run off to?"

"Veronica's. I told her I'd sneak her into FP's trailer."

"With the key under the mat. Smart. So, this mean you and New York are officially going to the dance together?" Mickey asked, cleaning up his mother's papers.

"Doubt it."

"You want my advice? Take it slow. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mickey paused for a moment as he chose his words carefully. "Archie, I don't doubt for a second that you and Veronica really care about each other. But if you and New York really want to be together, you need to be ready for the fight that comes with that. Her family hates us, man. They already tried to kill Mom because she's getting too close. If Mom gets a conviction, they won't see you as Veronica's boyfriend Archie," Mickey warned "You'll be the enemy."

* * *

Mary woke up early the next morning on the couch, wrapped up in a soft throw blanket, her legal files neatly stacked on the coffee table, the sweet smell of coffee causing her to open her eyes.

"Morning, Mom." Mickey smiled as he walked over with a smile, the blue-eyed twin wearing a light wash denim shirt over a white henley, dark jeans and boots, handing her a fresh cup of coffee.

"Morning. Did Archie make it back from his run okay?" she asked, taking a sip from her mug.

"Yeah. He made it back right when you fell asleep," Mickey informed, heading back into the kitchen to finish his bacon and eggs.

"Morning." Archie smiled as he and Jughead walked downstairs, the brown-eyed twin wearing his favorite blue cardigan over a white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, his best friend wearing his familiar denim and flannel.

"Morning, sweetie." Mary greeted "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. Listen, we don't have a lot of time. We promised Betty we'd help her finish decorating for the dance." As if on cue, the singer/songwriter jerked his head up at the sound of a knock at the door. "And that's her. Bye, Mom."

As the two young men headed out, Mickey heard a familiar red convertible pull up. "That's Cheryl. Can't keep her waiting, I'm still working my way out of the doghouse. Bye, Mom," Mickey told her with a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too," she echoed awkwardly, finding herself alone in the kitchen.

"There you are." Fred Andrews walked downstairs with a smile, rolling up the sleeves on his yellow and blue flannel shirt. "I was wondering why my bed was empty."

"Hey. Sorry, I came downstairs to work and fell asleep."

"It's okay. Looks like Mick made enough food for everyone," Fred noticed, stepping into the kitchen "And I've got some time before I have to go in for work."

Mary smiled as she joined her husband at the table, remembering all the meals they'd shared in their tiny loft apartment in Chicago.

"So, what's on the to-do-list for today?" Fred asked.

"Figured it's time I paid Clifford a visit. If he really is the one who called about Hiram, he may be the final nail in the coffin we need."

"And if you can't get him to help?"

"Then, I'd have to take the next flight back Chicago. But if I can get him to testify, I'd have to stay in town long enough to draft up an agreement. If that happens, maybe we could take some time and go to the Homecoming dance?" Mary suggested "Together?"

Fred smiled as he saw the nervous blush creep into her cheeks. "Mary Grace, it'd be my genuine pleasure."

* * *

"So, how'd things with your mom go?" Betty Cooper walked side by side with Archie and Jughead, the girl next door wearing a soft grey peacoat, over a snow white sweater, light wash jeans and heeled boots.

"Good, really good. Until the Lodges came up," Archie's face twisted up into a grimace as he revealed "Hermione bullied my mom back in high school. Badly."

"Seriously? Is there anyone that woman didn't screw over back in high school?" Jughead asked.

"I don't get it. My mom wouldn't hurt a fly," Archie insisted "Why Hermione do that to her?"

"Maybe that's just who she was," Betty assumed "My mom didn't have the best home life growing up. It's why she and Hermione were best friends. At school, they could get back at the people that used to pick on them. But Hermione took it too far after she became captain of the Rivervixens. She thought she was untouchable. Which is why she hooked with my dad at a party when my mom was sick."

"Now we know Veronica gets it from," Jughead commented.

Archie scowled. "Veronica is nothing like Hermione."

"Not anymore. But she left her fair share of destruction behind when she left New York."

"But she changed," Betty reminded firmly "Just like Hermione has changed."

Archie was silent after that. He believed Veronica had changed, but he wasn't sure about Hermione.

* * *

"What is it?" Cheryl Blossom sat behind the wheel of her bright red convertible early that morning, driving her first love and her best friend to school. "You two are very quiet."

Josie wrung her hands together as she sat in the back seat, nervously trying to find the right words. "It's about Polly."

"What about her?"

"I talked to Betty the other day," Mickey continued "She said that Polly's leaving Thornhill after the dance."

Cheryl felt a nervous chill run down her spine. "Mommy won't like that."

Mickey instinctively reached over and took her hand. "I can talk to Polly. Try to get her to stay a few more days until-,"

"No." Cheryl's fear faded away to reveal a reluctance acceptance. "If Polly has a chance to go home, she should take it."

"But your mother-,"

"Can't do anything to me that she hasn't already done."

Josie wasn't the least bit surprised. "You can spend the night at my place after the dance. Give your mom some time to cool down."

The three of them rode in silence after that, a single question echoing across Mickey's mind: What if that wasn't enough?

* * *

"Mary Andrews. What a surprise." Clifford Blossom looked up from his desk in his home office, giving the auburn-haired lawyer a curious and intrigued look as she walked in. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just wanted to thank you. For showing me where to find the chink in Hiram Lodge's armor."

"Michael told you. Why am I not surprised?" Clifford asked with a chuckle "I'm sorry Mary, but I can't help you anymore than I already have."

"Not even to get justice for your son? My son has been investigating Jason's death with some of his friends," Mary explained "and his theory is that Hiram had your boy murdered as revenge for you calling the authorities. And judging by the private army you have outside, I think you believe it too. This is your chance to make sure he never hurts your family again, Cliff."

Clifford Blossom stayed silent for a moment, the wheels in his head turning rapidly as he thought. "I would need certain assurances."

"Of course," Mary replied, handing him her business card "Talk to your lawyers and have them call me in the morning."

* * *

Veronica Lodge walked into the music room early before class, ready to rehearse for the Homecoming dance with Archie, when she heard the familiar sound of Archie singing by himself.

" _I'll dance with Cinderella. While she is here in my arms. 'Cause I know something the prince never knew."_

The New York native paused as she stood in front of the door to the music room, taking a moment to appreciate the sound of his voice. Veronica knew that song. The composer wrote after the death of his daughter. But why was Archie singing it?

" _Oh, I'll dance with Cinderella. I don't want to miss even one song. 'Cause all too soon, the clock with strike midnight. And she'll be gone."_

Archie sighed as he set down his guitar, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Sorry. It just seemed like you were having a moment." The raven-haired princess took a seat next to the auburn-haired songwriter. "Why were singing that song?"

Archie felt a tug on his heartstrings. "My mom had a miscarriage when I was little. That's why she left."

"Oh my God. Archie," Veronica reached over and took his hand "I'm so sorry."

"It still hasn't really sunk in yet. But at least I know that I didn't drive her away." the brown-eyed twin quickly cleared his throat, trying to fight lump growing inside it. "Can we just figure out our set for the dance, please?"

"Of course." The two high schoolers went over the list of songs they both had in mind, selecting the ones they both could agree on for the dance, when Veronica noticed an unexpected piece. " _Aerosmith_?"

"It's my dad's favorite band. I thought it might help them get back on track. It's dumb, I know-,"

"No, it's not," Veronica disputed with a smile "It's very sweet gesture, Archiekins. Does this mean your mom's staying in town for the dance?"

"Maybe. I hope so. Ronnie," Archie felt a nervous knot form in his stomach "I think there's something you should know, about my mom. When she was our age, she was bullied. By your mother."

Veronica stayed silent for a moment as it sunk in, remembering how Hermione laughed when Veronica's old school called and informed her that her daughter had forced a classmate to drink gutter water.

"You don't seem surprised," Archie noticed.

"No, I'm not. Let me guess: your mother was shy growing up? Didn't have a lot of friends? Maybe said or did something that made her stand out."

Archie's eyes widened slightly as he remembered the story of how his mother got the nickname Saint Mary for wearing her Catholic school uniform on her first day at Riverdale High. "Ronnie, how did you know that?"

"Because, I am my mother's daughter."

* * *

Cheryl Blossom sat with Polly in her room later that afternoon, helping each other do their makeup before the dance. Josie and Veronica had been invited, but Josie was getting ready with the Pussycats and always, B&V were inseparable.

"This is such a good color on you, Pollykins," Cheryl complemented, as she finished applying the expecting mother's blush.

"Thanks. Hey, you know what was thinking?" Polly asked "Since the theme of the dance is 'Blas from the Past,' what if we borrow some of your mom's jewelry?"

Cheryl felt a nervous chill run down her spine. "The last time I burrowed Mommy's jewelry, she got very upset."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun."

"Polly." Cheryl's stomach twisted up in knots as her brother's fiance headed for the door. "Wait."

But she didn't. Polly couldn't care less about Penelope's jewelry. But she knew Cheryl's parents were hiding something. And the master bedroom was the one place she wasn't wasn't allowed to go.

The first born daughter of the Coopers silently slipped into Clifford and Penelope's bedroom, her eyes widened as she noticed the massive collection of bright red wigs on the wall. Jason told her that Clifford wore a hairpiece to hide his greys, but he never said he obsessed about it. The expecting mother felt a familiar ache in her heart as she spotted a childhood picture of Jason sitting on the dresser, wearing a bright red polo shirt and khakis, his face captured in a warm smile.

"Polly."

The pregnant teenager jumped as Cheryl hurried into the room, quickly closing the door behind her. "What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed whisper "We shouldn't be in here."

"It's fine," Polly insisted "We're not going to get caught."

"Polly, we have to go," Cheryl's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as the expecting mother started tearing through Penelope's dresser, not even considering the mess she was making. If Penelope found out about this, one of them was getting a beating for sure. " _Now._ "

The gothic heroine hurried over and grabbed Polly's arm, her dark brown eyes locking onto the object in the expecting mother's hand: a beautiful, antique diamond ring.

Cheryl recognized it instantly. "That's my grandmother's."

"No. It's mine." Polly stared at Cheryl with pain-filled eyes. "Jason gave this to me when he proposed. He got from Nana Rose when she gave him her blessing. But I told him to hold onto it until we left Riverdale for safekeeping. Why," she asked in a trembling "Why does your mother have it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know!?"

Cheryl jumped back at the whip-like crack in Polly's voice, remembering the night when Betty threatened her. "Maybe, maybe it was in Jay-Jay's pocket when they fished him out of Sweetwater river. Maybe she thought he stole it. So he could get out of town."

"Then why didn't she mention it when I told her we were getting married?"

"Polly, I understand that you're upset," Cheryl acknowledged "and you have every right to be. But we need to put everything back and get out of here. Right now."

Polly's eyes widened in anger as Cheryl took the ring out of her hand and began to clean up. "I am not leaving without my ring."

The gothic heroine quickly grabbed the expecting mother's wrist as she attempted to take the ring back, her dark brown eyes blazing with a warning fire. "Listen well, Polly Cooper. You may be carrying precious cargo, but you think that makes you untouchable, you're in for a rude awakening."

Polly felt her stomach churn up at the frightened look on Cheryl's face. "Is that why Jason wanted to run away? Is that why he wanted to keep our babies as far away from their grandparents as possible? Is that why he wanted you to come with us?" Polly's answer came in the shocked look on Cheryl's face "The thought of leaving you alone with Clifford and Penelope made him sick to his stomach. _Why?_ "

"Girls."

Cheryl's blood turned to ice at the sound of her mother's voice.

The two young woman quickly turned around, finding Penelope standing in the doorway, holding strawberry milkshake in her hand. "What are you two doing in here?"

Cheryl's heart raced. Her hands shook. Her lungs screamed for breath. "I-,"

"Where did you get this?" Polly snatched the ring from Cheryl's hand and held it up for Penelope to see "Jason had this with him the night he died so _why do you have it?_ "

Penelope was silent for a moment, taking a shaky breath as her voice began to waver. "The last time Clifford saw Jason, was the day our son washed his hands our family. Jason wanted nothing to do with the Blossom name. A fact painfully emphasized when he threw that ring in Clifford's face." Penelope stepped over and closed Polly's hand around the ring, the scarlet-haired mother's eyes swelling with tears. "That ring is the only thing I have left of Jason. But it belongs with you." Penelope placed the milkshake in the expecting mother's free hand, walking out as she wiped her eyes.

Polly stayed silent as her fiance's mother walked out, tightening her grip on the ring in her hand. "I don't believe her."

Polly, let it go," Cheryl begged "You got the ring. You got what you wanted."

"I want the truth!" she snapped "I want to know why Jason was willing to fake his death your parents away from our babies!"

"So do I. But we aren't going to get any answers tonight. So keep the ring," Cheryl insisted "and let's finish getting ready for the dance."

Polly sighed as she followed Cheryl out of the room, taking a long sip of her milkshake.

* * *

"Somethings never change."

Mary smiled as she found Fred standing in front of the full body mirror in her room, struggling with the silk black bow tie around his neck.

"To be fair, it's not like I wear these things often. I don't know how Archie ties these things," Fred commented.

Mary chuckled softly to herself as she walked over to her husband, her fingers brushing across his chest as she helped him with his tie. "I think you wore the same suit at our prom."

"Well, the theme is blast from the past. Although, I don't remember you wearing a little black dress," Fred commented.

Mary glanced down at the long-sleeved, form-fitting, knee-length dress she was wearing. "This dress is not that short."

"Okay." Fred's smile wavered slightly as he whispered "I didn't think you were ever coming back."

"Neither did I," Mary confessed, finishing the knot in his tie "But I'm glad I did."

"So am I," Fred agreed, stealing a kiss. It was a quick kiss. Soft and fleeting. But it was enough to remind them of all the kisses they had shared over the years.

* * *

"How's my hair?"

Mickey stood in the living with his room with his brother, the blue-eyed twin wearing the red jacket tuxedo that the Blossoms had bought for him, along with a pair of black patent leather shoes and a crisp white dress shirt, the two top buttons undone, showing a hint of the bronze pendant around his neck.

Archie wore a dark blue suit with an untucked white oxford shirt, a dark green bow tie, and clean white sneakers, a guitar strapped across his back.

"Good. How's my tie?" Archie asked.

"Good." Mickey quickly glanced up the stairs towards his parents bedroom. "You think they'll like that surprise of yours?"

"I hope so. "I'll get it." the auburn-haired quarterback quickly made his way across the living room as he heard a knock at the door, his eyes widening at the sight of Veronica Lodge on his front porch, wearing a beautiful black sequin gown.

Archie's jaw dropped. His heart raced. And in the blink of an eye, he was back in the forest from his dream, rolling around in the snow with the raven-haired princess. "Wow."

Veronica blushed. "As much as I adore the way your looking at me right now, it's freezing out here."

"Sorry." Archie blushed as he stepped aside to let Veronica walk in, not taking his eyes off her for a second. "You look-,"

"Beautiful? Stunning? Gorgeous?"

"None of those words seem good enough." Archie nervously reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a medium velvet box. "I couldn't afford to get you a corsage. But I hoped that this would make up for it."

Veronica gasped as Archie opened the box, revealing her fully restored pearl necklace. "How did you-?"

"I found the pieces in the hallway the day it broke. Took them to a jeweler to have it fixed." Archie smiled as he clasped the necklace around her neck, his fingers gently brushing her skin.

"My, my."

Mickey's blood began to boil as Hermione Lodge walked in, the raven-haired socialite wearing a silver fur coat over a full-length green gown with a low-cut circular neckline and a smile.

"Don't you boys look handsome?"

Before Mickey could even ask what she was doing here, a jet black limo pulled up behind the Lodges' town car. "That's Reggie. I'll see you guys at the dance."

As the blue-eyed twin headed out, Hermione's eyes drifted over to the pearls around her daughter's neck. "Where did you find your necklace, _mija?_ "

"Archie found it. The clasp broke and he had it fixed," she lied "I thought you were staying in the car."

"Hermione." All eyes drifted to Fred Andrews as he appeared at the top of the stairs, giving the raven-haired mother a suspicious look. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't see why the kids should have all the fun, so I thought we could go to the dance together." The brunette mother gave the construction work a lustful look. "You always did clean up, nice _caballo._ "

Veronica's eyes widened as her mother called Fred the spanish word for horse, causing Fred's face turned bright red

"Well, uh, that's very kind of you. But actually-,"

"I'm going to the dance with Fred."

All eyes turned to Mary as she appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing a long-sleeved, little black dress that completely took Fred's breath away.

Hermione's smiled wavered slightly. "I thought you'd be back in Chicago by now. Tearing innocent husbands away from their families."

"Depends on your definition of innocent."

"Mom," Archie and Veronica said together.

"Can we please call a temporary truce until the dance is over?" Veronica requested "Please?"

Hermione gave her daughter a permissive smile. "You're right, _mija._ There's no reason why we can't act civil for one night. Why don't we all go to the dance together?"

Fred looked as if that suggestion was something straight out of his nightmare. "I don't think-,"

"That's a great idea," Mary agreed, surprising everyone "It'll be like old time."

"Actually, we have to get to the dance early to get up for our set," Archie announced, excusing himself and Veronica from an increasingly awkward scene "We'll have the car circle back for you guys."

"I really hope our mothers don't kill each other," Veronica whispered.

"You and me both."

Fred felt the color drain from his face as he found himself alone with his wife and his former mistress. If he had to choose between going to the dance with Mary and Hermione or going back to Iraq, he'd take the Taliban.

* * *

Josie McCoy sat in front of the vanity mirror in her room, finishing the make-up on her eyelashes, wearing a full-length yellow evening gown and matching heels, her mother carefully braiding her hair into long, thick strands.

"You look beautiful honey," Sierra complemented, the mayor of Riverdale wearing a deep purple dress.

"Thanks, Mom."

"So, who is the young man coming to pick you up?" Sierra inquired, causing her daughter to squirm. Why was she so reluctant to tell her about this boy?

"Reggie Mantle."

Now she knew why. "Josephine."

The leader of the Pussycats pressed her lips together at the look on her mother's face. "I know what you're going to say-,"

"Boys like Reggie Mantle are only after one thing," Sierra warned, confirming her daughter's theory "and it isn't your heart. He will hurt you, Josie."

"You're wrong."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know him," Josie insisted "Yes, Reggie dedicates a lot of time to sports, but that's because no one expects him to. Mom, the same people that say we're nothing but gangsters and thugs are the same ones that say the only way men like Reggie can be athletic is by staring in a kung-fu movie. He wants to do for his community what Jackie Robinson did for us. Not to mention, it is the only connection he has to the biological father he has not seen since he was three years old."

Sierra's eyes widened at the conviction in her daughter's word,s remembering the day she made a similar speech to her own parents. "Josie, if you really care about this boy, you need be very careful. And not because of his attitude," Sierra clarified quickly "There are going to be people who say you shouldn't be together because you're not the same color. People in our own community. Some might even say that you're less black."

"You sound like you're talking from experience."

"There... was a boy in high school. A white boy," Sierra added, earning a surprised look from Josie "Your grandparents didn't approve. When they looked at him, all they saw were the men and women who beat them when they marched. No matter how many I told them that I loved him," Sierra sighed as she finished braiding her daughter's hair "If you really want to be with this boy, I won't stop you. But I will give you two pieces of advice: the first, be patient. Just because he isn't white doesn't mean he understands being black. You're going to have to explain things to him."

"What's the other advise?"

"Prove them wrong. When people make assumptions about you and Reggie, prove them wrong," Sierra repeated.

Josie nodded, wanting to ask more about the boy from high school, when there was a knock at the door. "That's him." Josie got up from her seat and walked into the living room, opening the front door to let Reggie inside.

The varsity football captain wore a jet black suit with a matching shirt, the first two buttons undone, revealing a hint of the jade pendant around his neck, his arms full of flowers.

"Whoa." Reggie's eyes sparkled as the moment Josie came into view "Talk about a whole new meaning to the word gorgeous," he praised, causing Josie to blush "This is for you," he said, handing her an orchid corsage "And these are for you, Mrs. McCoy. Fres from my mom's garden."

"Thank you, Reggie." Sierra said with a smile as she took the bouquet of cherry blossoms. "They're beautiful."

"Did you finish the book I lent you?" Josie asked.

"Not yet," Reggie answered "Coach had us practicing late this week for the game."

"What book?" Sierra asked.

" _The Autobiography of Malcolm X_ ," Reggie answered, earning a surprised look from Sierra. "Josie lent it to me after I let her borrow my copy of _The Wisdom of Confucius._ "

"You read Confucius?"

"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life," Reggie quoted "He's one of my favorite philosophers."

"Well," Sierra gave her daughter an impressed look "it seems like you two are really trying to understand each other. Josie, be back by eleven. And have fun."

"Yes, ma'm."

Reggie took Josie's hand as he led her outside, where a sleek, jet black limousine was waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," Mickey heckled as he rolled down the window "I was worried Mayor McCoy had you sweating through your suit, Reg."

"Shut up, Mick."

"Hi, Josie!" Midge called, trying to poke her head past Mickey's as she waved to her friend "You look so pretty."

"So do you," Josie told her, sliding into the car with Reggie "So, you guys ready to go to the dance?"

"Not yet," Mickey warned "There's one more stop we need to make."

* * *

Mickey hated coming to Thornhill. Ever since he found out about Penelope's abusive nature, he was afraid of walking in and finding her in the middle of beating Cheryl or Polly. And if he if ever saw that, he'd be going to prison for murder. The blue-eyed twin stood nervously in the grand hall, holding two bundles flowers, roses for Cheryl and violets for Polly, she appeared

"Wow." Mickey's eyes widened as Cheryl walked down the stairs with her parents, wearing a bright red dress that absolutely took his breath away. "You're...perfect," he gasped, frowning at the look on her face. "What's the matter?"

"It's Polly."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." Mickey stood with the Blossoms in Jason Blossom's bedroom, where Polly Cooper lay fast asleep, the expecting mother still in her silk bathrobe, snoring. "What happened?"

"We were getting ready for the dance, she came in here to put on her dress," Cheryl recapped "and when I came to check on her, she was fast asleep."

"Should we wake her?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Penelope assured him quickly "Why don't you two run along to the dance and let Polly rest? No need to worry."

But Mickey was worried. His heart was racing. His blood was buring. His eyes started to see red.

"Teddy." Cheryl reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder, instantly recognizing the protective look in his eye "Polly can't get into any trouble if she's sleeping."

"I'll keep an eye on her until you get back," Nana Rose assured them "You two go on. Have fun."

Mickey sighed, handing the violets to Nana Rose "Just give her these when wake up. And tell her to call us."

"Of course Michael," Clifford assured him "You just have my daughter back by eleven. Have fun, sweetheart."

"Cheryl gave her parents a soft smile as she took the roses from Mickey and grabbed her purse, the secret inside getting heavier by the second.

* * *

Archie stood in FP's bedroom, carefully closing the door after putting everything back the way he found it., looking for something, anything, that could connect Jughead's father to Hiram Lodge. And the murder of Jason Blossom. Fortunately, the place was clean. Unfortunately, Archie's partner in crime wasn't satisfied.

"Veronica," the brown-eyed twin walked into the living room of the trailer, where the New York native was tearing the place apart "We have checked everything twice. And we haven't found anything."

"We need to keep looking," she insisted, in an urgent, desperate tone.

"Why? Ronnie, what are you looking for?" Archie questioned "A signed contract between FP and your dad?"

"There is something here!" Veronica snapped "There has to be. Let's switch rooms. You look out here, I'll check in the bedroom."

"Veronica," Archie grabbed her hand as she attempted to walk off, forcing her to turn around and look him in the eye "What are you looking for? Do you want your father to be guilty?"

"I want the truth, Archie. I want to know once and for all if the he's the man I thought was, or the monster everyone says he is."

Archie's face softened at the frightened look in her eyes. "Ronnie, I understand why you want answers. But we could search all night, and we'd never find anything."

"What about if he comes home? Archie, my father was my hero. And now it's like I don't even know him," Veronica's voice began to aver as she asked "How am I ever supposed to look him in the eye?"

"I don't know. But what I do know, is that I will be there every step of the way," Archie vowed "doing whatever I can to help. If you'll let me. Look, we searched the place. And there's nothing here. In my book, that feels like a win. A major win," he emphasized "for the home team." Archie frowned at the mystified look on Veronica's face "What?"

"It's just...yea though I walk through the valley of darkness, Archie Andrews is there with a smile and a sports metaphor. Guiding me through the night. How can you be so nice to me?" she asked "After everything my family has put yours through?"

"Because the bad blood between our parents is their problem. Not ours. I have never once blamed you for what our family has done, and I never will," Archie promised.

Veronica kissed him then, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him close as she smashed her lips against his in a fiery burst of passion.

The two young lovers gasped for air as her phone went off, her dark brown eyes widening as she read a text from Alice Cooper. "FP's on his way home. We have to get out of here, now."

* * *

"You okay, Teddy Bear?"

Mickey blinked as Cheryl's pulled him out of his worried trance, turning his head away from the window, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "I'm fine, Rosie. I just, have a lot of things on my mind."

"About your mom?" Reggie assumed, sitting next to Josie on the opposite leather seats along with Moose and Midge. "She sure dropped a bombshell on you when she came back."

"What bombshell?" Cheryl asked.

"My mom had a miscarriage when I was thirteen," Mickey revealed "It's the reason she moved to Chicago."  
"Oh Teddy. I'm so sorry," Chery gave his hand a gentle squeeze "I can't image what that must've been like for you."

"Thanks Rosie," he said with a soft smile "I'm just she and my dad are talking again. They're even going to the dance together.

"That's good," Midge chimed in, the petite boxer wearing a purple dress made of crushed velvet, with long sleeves and a skirt that stopped just below the knee. "Do you think they're going to get back together?"

"I hope so." Mickey smiled as he locked eyes with Cheryl, his pale blue orbs sparkling with excitement. "I have something for you," he whispered, reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small velvet jewelry box.

Cheryl let out a soft gasp as he opened the box, revealing a beautiful handcrafted brooch made of solid god and ruby red glass, molded into a familiar flower.

"A rose for a rose," Mickey said with smile, pinning the brooch to Cheryl's dress, the look on her face making him feel warm and fuzzy all over.

"It's beautiful," Midge proclaimed, swatting Mosse's arm "How come you never buy me jewelry?"

"I just bought you dinner," Moose protested, wearing a dark blue suit with a lavender shirt and a dark purple tie. "Mickey, you're making us look bad."

"Hey, it's not my fault you guys don't know how to be romantic."

"Well, I may be new to the whole, serious relationship thing," Reggie admitted "But that doesn't mean I don't know how to have a good time. Which is why I got my brother to hook me up with this." The varsity football captain's friends cheered as he pulled out a bottle of champagne and glasses from underneath his seat. "A toast," he announced, as he filled the glasses and handed them out. "To an amazing night."

Mickey and Cheryl locked eyes as they clinked their glasses together. "To an amazing night."

* * *

Mickey walked hand in hand with Cheryl into the auditorium thait night, with Reggie, Josie, Moose and Midge by their sides, the room filled with gussied up teens and adults, making and reliving memories.

"Oh my God." Mickey gasped, his eyes widening as he spotted his parents on the other end of the room. With Hermione.

"Dude," Reggie gave Fred an impressed look. "You're dad's got game."

"Just like old times." Fred smiled as he took in the sights of the Homecoming dance, his mind racing with old, cherished memories: pickup basketball games with Tom Keller. Football practice with FP. Kissing Mary at the prom.

He wasn't the only one getting nostalgic. "Remember when this was our whole lives?" Mary asked.

"Feels like it was only yesterday," Hermione agreed "Fred, do you remember when the principal caught us sneaking into the pool after hours?"

"Uh, no," he disputed quickly, as his face turned bright red at the look on Mary's face "Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"You should. I was your first time skinny-dipping, after all."

"Dad."

Fred silently thanked God as Mickey walked over, a forced smile on his face and a protective look in his eye. _"What is she doing here?"_ he asked, glancing at Hermione.

" _She just showed up at the house. Your mother invited her to come with us."_

Mickey blinked. _"She's not planning to kill her or anything, is she?"_

" _No, I'm not,_ " Mary answered, reminding Fred and Mickey that they weren't the only ones who could speak in Gaelic dialects. "And you two are being very rude."

"Sorry Mom," Mickey apologized "I was just looking for Archie. I need to talk to him."

"We've haven't seen him. Oh, wait. There he is." Mary directed her son's attention to the far corner of the room, where Archie and Veronica were speaking with Alice Cooper.

The blue-eyed twin politely excused himself as he made his way across the auditorium, catching up with his brother and his potential girlfriend as they reached the sage. "Why is your mother trying to sabotage my parents' marriage?" he asked Veronica.

"She signed up to chaperone. I didn't know she was going to plan third wheel," the New York native sighed "Look, I'll talk to her. You just focus on rekindling the embers with Cheryl, okay?"

"Ugh. I am too young for this," Mickey sighed as pinched the bridge of his nose. Hermione was beautiful, manipulative and seductive. And apparently, he was only Andrews man who didn't fall to pieces everytime a Lodge woman walked in the room. Mickey wanted to help his parents, but he couldn't be Fred's wingman and fix things with Cheryl at the same time. Then again, maybe he didn't have to. "Sheriff Keller."

The blue-eyed twin found the lawman of Riverdale, in the middle of the mingling alumni, wearing a dark brown suit with matching shoes and tie, speaking Mayor McCoy in the middle of the auditorium.

"Hey Mickey," Sheriff Keller greeted with a smile "Enjoying the dance?"

"Yeah. Sure. Listen, I need a favor," the young man requested "My mom is in town and it looks she and my dad might be getting back together."

"That's great."

"It would be. If Mrs. Lodge would leave them alone for five minutes. I was sort of wondering if you could-,"

"Keep her busy for a little while?" Sheriff Keller assumed with a chuckle "It's been a long time since I've been your father's wingman. But considering he save my neck more times than I care to admit back Iraq, I suppose I owe him one."

"Thanks." Mickey smiled as he turned around and headed off in search of his friends, find them sitting at a table near the stage. Mickey smiled as he spotted Cheryl, placing a hand on her shoulder as he walked up behind her "Hey."

"Where'd you run off to?"

"Just doing a favor for my dad. But it's taken care of and now, I am all yours," he promised, kissing her cheek.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Cheryl smiled as he sat down next to her, his hand naturally slipping into hers.

At that moment, Archie and Veronica appeared on stage, sharing an excited smile as they began to sing.

" _Looking out a dirty old window,_

 _Down below the cars in the city go rushing by,_

 _I sit here alone and I wonder why,"_

Mickey's eyes lit up as the music washed over him, an excited grin spreading across his face as he got an idea. "Dance with me," he whispered in Cheryl's ear.

"What?"

"Come on." the young construction worker took the scarlet bombshell's hand and led her onto the dance floor, twirling her around to the music before pulling her close.

"Can't let them have all the fun." Reggie grinned and he Josie made their way onto the dance floor. Then Midge and Moose. Then Fred and Mary. One by one, more couples found their way onto the dance floor, losing themselves in the joy of the music.

* * *

"What are you up to, Mom?"

Hermione Lodge turned around from the concessions table at the sound of Veronica's voice, the raven-haired princess giving her a suspicious and disappointed look.

"Getting a drink. The kid-friendly drinks are over there."

"I mean you pestering the Andrews. Hovering around Fred and Mary like a shadow? If you-," The New York native swallowed lump in her throat "Mom, if you're considering a life without daddy, I understand. But Fred isn't it."

"A life without-?" Hermione's eyes widened "Veronica, I'm an not leaving your father."

"You're not?"

"No _mija,_ " the brunette mother confirmed with a comforting smile "not now, not ever. I love your father. And I made him a promise, for better or for worse. Until death do us part," she emphasized, quoting their vows.

"But, but I saw you with Fred Andrews. Mom, you _kissed_ him," Veronica reminded.

Hermione chuckled. "You don't need a five course meal to make a starving man obey you, Veronica. All you need is a single apple. Fred Andrews is nothing more than a means to an end. To secure our new business her in town and keep an eye on whatever charges she plans on bringing against your father." The former New York socialite ran a gentle hand through her daughter's hair, giving her a soft, comforting look "I'm sorry I made you worry, _mija._ "

Words could not begin to explain the look on Veronica's face. "I need to finish my set with Archie."

"I know you have feelings for him," Hermione revealed as her daughter attempted to walk away. "I can't say I'm surprised. He is handsome. Just like his father. Be careful Veronica," she warned "Don't fall in love with the enemy."

"Just because Mary is a prosecutor on daddy's trail-,"

"Not _a_ prosecutor, _the_ prosecutor. She is the one who brought the charge against your father. The one who tried to send your uncle Vincero to jail. She is out to destroy everything our family has built. She hates us, Veronica. Her whole family hates us."

"Can you blame them? Mom, you took advantage of Fred's feelings for you. Twice.," Veronica added sharply "And you tossed Mary out of the locker room half naked in front of the whole school."

"I'm sure they painted me out as quite the villain. But there are two sides for every story, Veronica. Did ever stop to ask why I did those things to Mary?" Hermione asked "Because from the moment she walked in these school doors, she was trying to steal Fred away from me. I confronted them, but they denied their feelings for each other constantly. As for my so-called friends, they couldn't see past her sweet and innocent Catholic girl act. So, I resorted to more...drastic measures. But all I did was drive Fred and Mary closer together. Then I met your father," she went on, in a much more pleasant tone "And he was devoted to me. Far more than Fred ever was. Eventually, I couldn't care less if people found out we were together. Why should I? Fred already had a foot out the door. But if I had known how he would react…," Hermione's face became dark as the memories ran through her head "He became violent. Extremely. He gave your father a concussion, Veronica. He tried to beat him into a bloody mess every chance he got."

Veronica's head felt like it was stuck on _The Cyclone_ at Coney Island. Despite his military background, she had always seen Fred as a model pacifist.

"And time has not made him anymore reasonable. Just ask your uncle. When he was in Chicago, Fred paid him a visit," Hermione revealed "And pointed a gun at Vincero's head."

* * *

Archie Andrews sat nervously backstage, carefully tuning his guitar for his parents' surprise, when Veronica walked in. The brown-eyed twin straightened up at the shaken look on the her face. "You okay?"

"Does your father own a gun?"

Archie blinked at the unexpected question caught him off guard. "Yeah. His old service pistol. But he hasn't touched that thing in years. How did you know that?"

"My mother. She said that your dad pulled a gun on my uncle Vincero."

Archie was quiet, trying to picture his father pulling a gun on anyone. "You can't honestly believe that."

"I don't what to believe. Ever since my father was arrested, everything I have ever known has been brought into question. What are we doing, Archie?" Veronica asked "Why are we trying to fool ourselves?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Us. You and me. Did we really think a few stolen kisses would grant us a happily ever after? Our parents hate each other, Archie. We're Romeo and Juliet. Jason and Polly."

"I don't care." Archie placed hands on the side of her face, forcing Veronica to look him in the eye "I don't care if our parents can't stand each other. I don't care if our families have been at war since the Dark Ages. None of that matters to me, Veronica. All that matter is how we feel about each other. That we make each other happy. And you make me really happy Ronnie," he said with a smile "You smile at me, and I feel like I can fly. And I like to think I can make you feel the same way too. But only if you'll let me."

Veronica felt her her heart race Archie started at her, giving her the same adoring look that she had come to cherish. The New York native took in a sharp breath as she smashed her lips against his, pulling him into a brief, fiery kiss before she whispered "Let's shoot for the stars, Archiekins."

* * *

"Our son the rock star."

Mary and Fred sat side by side at a small table sipping punch, taking a small break from dancing.

"He gets that from your side of the family," Fred told her.

"Oh, I don't know. I happen to remember a certain high school running back who led a double life as the lead singer of _Aerosmith_ cover band."

"That was long time ago. Before-," Fred paused as the forgotten memories raced across his mind: spending late nights with friends, playing a once beloved board game. "before my mother passed away."

"I know how much you miss her." Shirley Andrews had struggled with depression for years, right up to the night she took her own life. Fred was never the same after that.

Fred smiled softly as Mary reached over and took his hand, checking his phone as it went off. "It's a text from Mickey: _Get back on the dance floor. Archie has a surprise,_ " he read aloud, earning a confused look from both of them.

As if on cue, the brown-eyed twin reappeared onstage with Veronica by his side. "Alright, we're going to slow things down with this one. This next song is dedicated to the prom king and queen of the class of '91," he announced, smiling at his parents

Mary raised an eyebrow as her son began to play. "Are we being Parent Trapped?"

"Looks like it. Well," Fred sighed as he got up from his seat and offered her his hand "Since they went to all this trouble."

The auburn-haired mother smiled as her husband led her onto the dancefloor, swaying side by side as Archie began to sing.

" _I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing_

 _Watch you smile while you are sleeping,_

 _While you're far away and dreaming,_

 _I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

 _Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure."_

As they danced, Mary noticed Mickey and Cheryl swaying to music, the two of them lost in absolute bliss. "He's going to marry her."

"Who?"

"Mickey. Look at them," Mary told him, drawing Fred's attention to the two dancing redheads, looking at each other as if they were the only tow people in the world. "It's like our wedding video came to life."

"Let's just hope that they have better luck than we did."

" _I don't want to close my eyes,"_

Archie and Veronica sang together

" _I don't want to fall asleep 'cause I'd miss you babe,_

 _And I don't want to miss a thing,_

' _Cause even when I dream of you,_

 _The sweetest dream would never do,_

' _Cause I'd miss you, babe_

 _And I'd don't want to miss a thing."_

As their son continued to sing, Fred felt his mind start to wander, remembering all the dances he and Mary had shared over the years: The Back-to-School Formal, Homecoming, the senior prom. Their wedding. Anniversaries. And how he wished the music go on forever. "I should've let you go," he whispered.

Mary felt a smile tug at lips as she looked into her husband's eyes, still filled with the same love from when they were young. "And I never should've let."

" _I don't want miss one smile,_

 _I don't want to miss one kiss,_

 _I just want to be with you,_

 _Right here with you, just like this,_

 _I just want to hold you close_

 _I feel your heart so close to mine_

 _And just stay in her in this moment_

 _For all the rest of time"_

Archie's face broke into a massive grin as he watched his parents share an intimate kiss, his brother giving him a big thumbs up.

" _I don't want to close my eyes,_

 _I don't want to fall asleep,_

' _Cause I'd miss you babe,_

 _And I don't want to miss a thing,_

' _Cause even when I dream of you,_

 _The sweetest dreams would never do,_

' _Cause I'd miss you babe,_

 _And I don't want to miss a thing."_

* * *

Mary stood alone in the bathroom as she touched up her makeup, hoping to leave early for some...alone time with Fred before the boys came home, when Alice Cooper walked in.

"Well, you've certainly had quite the homecoming," she with a slur, the glassy-look in her eyes making it clear that she had been drinking.

"Hello Alice. It's been a while," Mary greeted with a cordial smile "How have you been?"

"Well, let's see: I kicked my husband out," she began in a wavering voice "so that my pregnant, unwed daughter could come home without fear of being dragged to an abortion clinic. Only for her to move in with the one family I hate almost as much as the Lodges. And Betty, my baby, is one mistake from turning into me." Alice wiped a tear as she reached into a purse, pulling out a flask and taking a long sip "I am sorry, Mary," she told her in a surprisingly sincere tone "for what I helped Hermione do to you back then."

"She was your best friend. I was the new girl. And I wasn't exactly a fan of the Serpents when I first got here," Mary added.

"But you kept the secret about why I really went to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy," Alice reminded gratefully "which is why I'm going to give you some advice: Leave."

"Excuse me?"

"Leave Riverdale," she repeated "take your boys and get them as far away from Fred and this town as possible."

Mary felt a a protective ignite in her stomach. "Fred is a good man. And an amazing father."

"Is that so? Well then let me tell you a little story," Alice offered "about your son and his music teacher."

* * *

That was a very nice thing you did for your parents."

Veronica Lodge stood on the dancefloor in Archie Andrews' arms, the two of them swaying back and forth to the music, taking the opportunity to dance after finishing their set.

"I just hope it made up for how I blew up at her the other night," he whispered, "I want things to better, Ronnie. I want my mother to be in my life."

"Give it time, Archiekins. Rome wasn't built in a day."

The brown-eyed twin felt his heart skip a beat as Veronica placed her head on his chest. "Go on a date with me."

Veronica's eyes widened at the athletic musician's sudden request.

"Please? I want to know deep our connection goes, Veronica. I don't care about our parents' past. I want to be with you. Will you go out with me, _sìthiche_?"

Veronica tilted her head as she recognized the last two words as Scots Gaelic. "What does that mean?"

"Fairy," he translated, trying not to blush "an angel who lost its way to heaven. And brings light and hope to lost souls here on Earth. At least that's how Grandpa told it. You lost so much when you left New York Veronica. You should be mad at the world. But all I've seen you do is try to help people-,"

"Stop talking," Veronica requested with a growing smile "So I can say yes."

At that moment, Betty walked over towards her two best friends, the look on her face reminding Archie all to much of Elizabeth. "I need to talk to you two. Right now."

* * *

"So beautiful, you having a good night?"

Josie let out a soft hum as she continued to slow dance with Reggie, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Practically perfect."

"Perfect enough for me to earn boyfriend status?" Reggie asked hopefully.

Josie brought a finger to her chin, pretending to be lost in deep thought. "Ask me after our next date."

"Wow. You really weren't kidding when you said I'd have to work for it, were you?" Reggie chuckled, causing her to shake her head. "It's okay. I don't mind." The varsity football captain leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek "I know you're worth it, Josie."

* * *

"Do you remember the first time we danced together?"

From the moment they walked through the doors, Mickey had planned to dance with Cheryl for as long as possible. The two redheads silently swayed side to side as the soft music played across the p.a. system.

"Rosie?" Mickey glanced down at Cheryl as she stayed silent, the gothic heroine resting her head on his chest as they continued to dance. "Are you okay?"

She had been quiet for a while now. Ever since one of their classmates asked about Polly's whereabouts.

After a moment she finally spoke. "The milkshake."

"What milkshake?"

"Everyday, my mother's brings Polly a milkshake from Pop's. She was drinking one right before she fell asleep. Teddy," Cheryl's voice became increasingly worried "I think my mother put something in it."

"Why would Penelope want to drug Polly?"

"To get this back."

Mickey's eyes widened as Cheryl pulled an antique diamond ring from her purse. "What is that?"

"Polly's engagement ring. Jay-Jay had it with him the day he died. We found it in my mother's dresser."

Mickey's blood turned to ice. "I'll get the limo. You tell the others where we're going." The blue-eyed twin hurried out into the halls, praying to God that his best friend was still in one piece, when he heard a pair of familiar voices.

"How could you?" Mary asked "How could let this happen?"

"Mary, what was I supposed to do?"

That was Fred's voice. What could possibly have Mickey's parents arguing so soon after making up?

"I found them hugging in the music room. Not half naked in bed."

Mickey's heart stopped. He knew exactly what this was about now. Miss Grundy.

"You call the police!" Mary snapped "You have that woman arrested and take her to court."

"That would mean puting Archie on the stand," Fred shot back "and taking his real, honest feelings for her and twisting them into something ugly. He's been through enough."

"My son was _raped!_ He was attacked by a sexual predator on. Your. watch."

Mickey poked his head around the corner as his mother's voice began to waver, catching a glimpse of of tear-filled eyes as she gave Fred a furious, heartbroken expression. "Alice was right. I want a divorce."

"Mary-,"

"I want a divorce," the auburn-haired lawyer repeated in a steely tone "And I want full custody of my sons."

* * *

Mickey and Cheryl stood side-by-side in the late Jason Blossom's bedroom, carefully checking Polly's pulse still strong and steady.

"She hasn't moved an inch since you left," Nana Rose assured them.

"What do you think Penelope put in that milkshake?" Mickey asked.

"Chamomile root," Nana Rose answered "I grow it in my garden. Fortunately, it's harmless to the babies."

"Cheryl. Micheal."

The two redheads turned around as Penelope and Clifford walked in. "I didn't hear you come in. What are you doing back so soon?"

"We wanted to check on Polly," Mickey answered, trying to control his growing anger "We were worried about her."

"How sweet. We were just about to have dinner. Would like to join us?"

"I can't." Mickey clenched his jaw as he revealed "There's something I have to take care of at home." The blue-eyed twin gave Cheryl a gentle kiss on the cheek. "When she wakes up, call me," he whispered.

As soon as he walked out, Penelope gave daughter a side-eyed glance and asked. "Cheryl, what happened to the ring?"

Cheryl's blood quickly turned to ice at the look on her parents' faces. "Polly was asking so many questions. If she brought the ring to the authorities, it could cause crippling damage to our family's stock. So I...I flushed it, before I went to the dance."

"You did the right thing," Clifford praised "I was wrong before, preparing Jason to succeed me. He wasn't strong enough to do what needed to be done. I see now that you are my true heir," he praised "A true Blossom."

* * *

After taking Cheryl off at Thornhill and making sure Polly was okay, Mickey had the limo take him straight back to the dance, only to find his parents and his brother gone. At first he thought their parents had forced brown-eyed twin to go home, trapping him in the middle of their argument. But when Kevin told him that Archie had left with Veronica, he realized there was only place his brother could be.

The blue-eyed marched into the Pop's less than fifteen minutes later, finding his brother standing in the middle of the floor with Betty and Veronica. "We've got a problem."

"Yeah, no kidding. Someone's trying to frame FP for Jason Blossom's murder," Archie revealed "We've got to-,"

"Screw that!" Mickey interrupted quickly "We've got bigger problems."

"What could be worse than someone trying to frame Jughead's father for murder?" Betty questioned

"Your mother told our mom about Miss Grundy," Mickey answered with an angry glare "and now she wants to divorce dad and get full custody of us."

"What?"

Archie's hand instinctively found its way into Veronica's. "I am not moving to Chicago."

"Neither am I. But if Mom takes Dad to court, we many not have a say. So we need to fix this _now_ ," Mickey insisted "or our days in Riverdale are done."


	12. Chapter 12: Anatomy of a Murder

Mickey and Archie hurried home as quick as they could, desperate to keep their parents from going to war with each other, only to discover that the shots were already firing.

"You are _not_ taking my sons!" Fred shouted, the construction worker arguing loudly with his estranged wife in the kitchen, as the auburn-haired twins walked through the front door.

"Give me one good reason why not!" Mary snapped back "That woman should be rotting in a prison cell, not running around God knows where seducing children."

"Archie wouldn't testify! I did the best I c-," Fred cut himself off as his sons walked in the room "H-hey guys. Your mother and I were just-,"

"Don't lie," Mickey interrupted "I heard you guys at the dance."

Archie got straight to the point. "I am not moving to Chicago."

"Archie-,"

"No." The singer/songwriter gave his mother a fiery glare, one that Mary had never seen on his face before. "Riverdale is my home. And I am not going to let you use what happened between me and Geraldine as an excuse to take me away from my father."

"Excuse? Archie, that woman took advantage of you," Mary insisted "She manipulated you. She _raped_ you."

"Stop saying that!" Archie shouted "I am so sick of people saying that. She did not rape me, okay? She didn't drug me and tie me up and force herself on me. Everything we did, I said yes to. It was my choice. My mistake."

"No, sweetheart. It isn't," Mary refused in a gentle tone "You were a fifteen year-old boy with a crush on the teacher. And that woman," the red-headed lawyer's voice began to tremble with fury at the very mention of Miss Grundy "she took advantage of those feelings. And the only one to blame for what happened is her. But you father is one who let her get away."

Fred tried to ignore the pain his heart at the disappointed tone in Mary's voice.

"I don't think it's safe for you boys in Riverdale anymore," Mary told her sons "and I want you two to come live with me."

"No."

Mary blinked rapidly as she failed to ignore the growing heartache from Archie's rapid response. "Mickey? Will you come with me?"

Mickey was truly torn. He loved both his parents equally. But there was someone he loved more. And she lived in Riverdale. "I'm staying. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Mary felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes as she picked up her bags. "I'll see you in court."

* * *

 _"I'll fix it."_

Those were Mickey's exact words the second Mary rode off in her cab.

" _I'll fix it."_

He knew that he had the best chance of talking Mary out of suing Fred. Which is why he went straight to the only hotel in Riverdale, the Five Seasons. After getting Mary's room number from the concierge, Mickey marched straight up to the third floor and marched down the hall, coming to a stop when he founded her hotel room.

"Mom! It's me!" Mickey shouted, banging his fist against the door "Mom, open up!"

After a moment of silence, Mary finally opened the door, the auburn-haired mother wearing a soft white hotel robe. "Come to change your mind?"  
"No, I'm here to make you change yours. Mom, don't do this," Mickey begged "This morning, you and Dad were talking about getting back together, now you want to divorce him?"

"That was before he I knew he let a predator rape my son."

"That wasn't his fault!"

"He is your father!" Mary snapped "It is his job to protect you and your brother. And he failed."

"Think this through, Mom. Dad's a former Army Ranger with a silver star," Mickey reminded "No one has seen or heard from Miss Grundy in months. And you know how hard it is convince a jury that a sixteen year-old male is a sexual assault victim. How are you going to convince the courts to take us away from Dad?"

"By showing them that your father is unfit to keep you safe."

"Unfit?"

"In the last six months, a young man less than a year older than you was shot and killed," Mary reminded "supposedly by your father's oldest and closest friend, FP Jones. An army vet turned alcoholic who's been in and out of the Southside Serpents since he was sixteen, who confessed to murdering Jason Blossom. Your father's construction site was attacked, resulting in Moose Mason being sent to the hospital. And how does father keep you safe?" she asked "By running around with Hiram Lodge's wife while you two pick a bar fight with a biker gang?"

Mickey was in awe. How did moms always find this stuff out?

"You brother has never been violent. And now he's picking fights with the Southside Serpents? He needs his mother," Mary insisted.

"You're right. Archie does need you," Mickey agreed "even if he won't admit it. But not like this. Not by tearing him away from his home. He was just starting to open up to you, Mom. If you take him away from Dad, he may never forgive you."

Mary kept her face neutral as her eyes swelled with a fearful light. "It is my job to protect you and your brother. No matter what the cost."

* * *

 _"I'll fix it."_

Those were Mickey's exact words after Mary left.

 _"I'll fix it."_

Archie didn't know how to his brother planned on getting their mother to back down, but he trusted him. So, he changed his clothes and headed off to help Betty find the missing Jughead Jones.

The brown-eyed twin stood with the girl next door outside the Riverdale bus stop, looking for any sign of the boy from the Southside. After confronting Archie and Veronica for breaking into FP's trailer before the Homecoming dance, Jughead had mentioned moving to Toledo, where his mother and little sister now resided. Fortunately, no one fitting his description had bought a ticket.

"We have to find him. Betty, the look on his face when he left-," Archie's stomach sank to his knees as he remembered the expression on his best friend's face when Kevin Keller told them that his father had been arrested "It was like his whole world had been torn apart."

"Can you blame him?" Betty asked, keeping her eyes on her phone, hoping to find a call or a text from her missing boyfriend.

"Betty I swear, Ronnie and I never meant to hurt Jughead," Archie insisted "We were only trying to make sure it was safe for him to move back in with FP. I'm sorry."

"I know you are," Betty told him in a forgiving tone "I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"For my mom. For her getting drunk and telling your mom about Miss Grundy," she elaborated "Now your parents are getting divorced and you and Mickey might have to move-,"

"No one's going to Chicago, Betty," Archie interrupted quickly "everything's going to be fine."

The blonde-haired reporter blinked as the unusual sharpness in her best friend's voice, an angry fire smoldering behind his dark brown eyes.

"Look, let's just focus on finding Jughead, okay? He's not at his trailer, he's not at my place, he's not here at the bus stop." Archie's eyes widened as he realized the obvious "I know where he is."

* * *

Mickey walked back into his house less than an hour later, finding his brother and his best friends sulking in the living room. "What happened?"

"We just got back from the Sheriff's office," Archie answered "FP confessed to killing Jason Blossom."

"I know. Mom told me." Mickey sighed as he collapsed on the couch next to his brother on the couch. "She's going to use him in her case."

"What case?" Jughead asked.

"My mom found out Miss Grundy," Mickey informed "now she wants full custody of me and Archie. Meaning we'd have to move to Chicago. It doesn't look good."

Archie's heart started pounding. His stomach sank to his knees. His hand slipped into Veronica's, earning a look from Betty. "How we stop her?"

"You can't."

All eyes turned Fred Andrews as he appeared at the bottom the stairs, a grim and weary look on his face. "If your mother truly thinks that I'm don't have what it takes to raise you two, nothing short of an army is going to stop her."

Mickey watched his father curiously his father headed into the kitchen. "What are you going?"

"To find us a lawyer."

* * *

"Mom, I'm going to school. I'll be back-," Veronica's eyes widened as she found an unexpected face sitting at the kitchen table with Hermione: a young man with dark, slicked back curls and mischievous dark eyes, dressed in a dark blue turtleneck sweater, charcoal grey chinos, and black leather sneakers. "Sebastian?"

"Hey cuz," he greeted with his usual crooked smile "Long time no see."

"Oh my God." Veronica's face broke into a massive grin as she gave her cousin a warm hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Your aunt Angela wants Sebastian to consider colleges other than the ones offering him soccer scholarships," Hermione answered "I'm taking him to visit Carson while you're at school."

"I was hoping we could hang out a bit once you get out of class. Maybe grab a bite at Pop's?" Sebastian suggested "My dad wouldn't stop talking about their milkshakes on the way to the airport."

"Of course. I'll treat you," Veronica promised, grabbing her coat "I get out of class at three."

"See you then." Sebastian gave his cousin one final smile as she headed off to school, waiting for the door to close behind her before he asked. "I don't really have to go to Carson College, do I?"

"Always maintain the alibi _,_ Sebastian," Hermione reminded, taking a moment to marvel at how much her nephew looked like her brother. "It is good to see you again _sobrino,_ " she told him with a smile "regardless of the circumstances. Though I must admit, when I called your father for help, I was expecting someone a little more...experienced."

" _Tia,_ I have been overseeing the drug distribution at my private school since my freshman year," Sebastian revealed "and now, I oversee my entire school district. Profits are up twenty percent. Overdoses are a thing of the past. And there is not a single parent, teacher or cop who has a clue," he added, earning an impressed look from Hermione "My father sent me here because I get results. Because I am the heir to Santiago empire, and that means I have learn how to take care of loose ends like FP Jones. What does FP stand for anywhere?" he asked.

"Forsythe Pendleton."

"I'm can see why he goes by FP. There's one more reason why my _Padre_ sent me," Sebastian added grabbing his coat as he rose from his seat "We're family, _Tia_ Hermione. And if this booze-soaked biker thinks he can rat on my uncle to beat a murder charge, he's going to catch a bullet."

* * *

"Mom dropped the Hiram Lodge case. This is not good."

Mickey sat with his brother and his friends at lunch the next day, wearing a light wash denim shirt, black jeans and work boots, reading a recent article about on his phone. "If she's walking away from a case that could make her career, it's so she can give a hundred and ten percent into winning the custody case."

"But she won't win," Archie disputed angrily, causing Veronica to take his hand under the table. Ever since his parents started fighting he'd been more angry than she had ever known him to be.

"Guys, look." Kevin Keller drew his friends attention the other side of the cafeteria, where a familiar dark-haired boy was making his way towards Cheryl Blossom. Jughead Jones.

"What is he doing here?" Betty demanded in a whisper "I thought he was staying home."

The high school students watched nervously as Jughead stood in front Cheryl, saying something none of them could hear as Cheryl slowly rose from his seat.

 _SMACK!_

The entire school jumped as Cheryl slapped Jughead clean across the face.

"Cheryl stop!" Mickey bolted from his seat as his girlfriend continued to punch and slap Jughead across the face and chest, the blue-eyed twin grabbing her by the waist and pulling her away from Jughead as Archie quickly stepped between his best friend and his brother's girlfriend.

As principal Weatherbee dragged Jughead into his office, Mickey led Cheryl into the hall, with Josie and Reggie by their sides.

* * *

"Everyone keeps coming up to me. Hugging me," Cheryl said in a hollow, disgusted tone "Like we're suddenly best friends. Telling me I must be so glad that this whole ordeal is finally over. So why doesn't feel like it's over?"

Mickey sat with Cheryl, Reggie and Josie on the bottom of the stairs at school, the leader of the Rivervixens pouring out her feelings as she tried not to cry.

"Rosie, Archie and Veronica searched FP's trailer before Sheriff Keller got there," Mickey revealed "and they didn't see any gun. They think that someone might be trying to frame FP for Jason's death."

"Of course they are," Reggie scoffed "they're best buddies with that Serpent scum's dad."

"Reggie." Josie gave her boyfriend a stern look, keeping him from letting loose his hatred for the Southside Serpents.

"I don't care who killed Jason," Cheryl told them "I just want Sheriff Keller to find them so this can be over. I just want this to be over," she repeated in a wavering voice, burying her face in Mickey's chest.

The blue-eyed twin felt his stomach twist up in knots as he gently wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, taking in a shaky breath as he revealed. "My parents are getting divorced. My mom found out about Archie and Miss Grundy."

Cheryl frowned as she looked at her boyfriend's face. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because she also wants full custody of me and Archie. Which means-,"

"You would have to move to Chicago if she wins," Josie finished.

"Chicago?" Cheryl's heart started to crack. Her stomach sank to her knees. Her eyes started to swell with tears. To put it simply, she was devastated.

And she wasn't the only one. "We can stop her, right?" Reggie asked nervously "Babe, tell me there's a way to stop her."

"Fred will get a chance to fight for custody in court. And the judge will take into consideration who Mickey and Archie want to live with. But they'll give custody to the parent who can provide the safest environment for Archie and Mickey. And with everything that's been going on," the mayor's daughter felt her stomach twist up in knots "that might not be Riverdale."

"Which is why I'm going to talk to my mom. Convince her to go for joint-Rosie." Mickey's words were cut short as Cheryl suddenly shot up from her seat, taking off down the hall without a word. "She's really upset."

"Can you blame her? She's having the worst day of her life," Josie reminded "and you just told her that you might be moving halfway across the country. You couldn't wait for a better time to tell her?"

"Last time I waited for the best time to give Cheryl bad news, I nearly lost her," Mickey reminded "I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

"I get it. You thought it was best to rip the bandaid off. But that bandaid might've been the only thing keeping her together."

As Josie went after her best friend, Reggie stayed at his best friend's side, watching the blue-eyed twin tug at the bronze pendant around his neck. "What are you going to do, bro?"

"I'm going to find away to keep my family together," Mickey answered "before we tear ourselves apart."

* * *

"Jones. You've got a visitor."

FP Jones sat up on his cot as he lay in his jail cell, the deputy allowing an elegantly dressed young man to walk in, wearing a black peacoat over a turtleneck and jeans. FP was sure he had never seen this kid a day in his life. And yet, there was something familiar about him.

The leader of the Southside Serpents raised an eyebrow as the young man handed the deputy a wad of crisp fifty dollar bills, prompting the lawman to hand him a yellow folder and walk out. "FP Jones Jr?" the young man asked.

"Yeah. And who are you?"

"I'm...an associate of Vincero Santiago."

"You mean that you're his kid," FP corrected, finally realizing why the young man looked so familiar. "Piece of advice, don't try to be Mr. Mystery with a guy who grew up with your old man. You look too much like him."

"I'll keep that in mind. You're in a bad spot Mr. Jones," Sebastian commented, pacing back and forth in front of FP's cell. "Murder's a tough rap to beat. Especially when you don't keep your mouth shut. Makes me wonder what else you might tell the cops."

FP scoffed. "If you worried I'm going to say something about your uncle Hiram, don't bother. I know the drill." The leader of the Southside Serpents assured, dismissively laying back down on his cot "Keep my mouth shut or you'll go after Jughead."

"Joaquin Desantos."

FP shot up from his cot.

"His mother grew up in a trailer right across from yours," Sebastian went on, reading the file the deputy had given him "Died during childbirth. And whenever something breaks in his trailer, you're the first one he calls. Felix 'Fangs' Fogarty: his father was one of the men you lost during your second tour in Iraq. And now, you make sure no one sells drugs to his heroin-addicted mother. Augustus 'Sweet Pea' Ramirez: His father's on his fifth year of an ten year sentence for gun-trafficking. So you got him a job at the Serpents' favorite motorcycle shop to help his mom pay the bills."

With every name Sebastian read off, FP's heart pounded faster. His blood grew hotter. And every bone in his body wanted to reach past the bars and break the Chicago native's neck.

"Antoinette 'Toni' Topaz. Direct descendant of the Native Americans who founded your little club. Her parents died in the gun deal that got Sweet Pea's old man locked up. And now you pay half the rent on her grandfather's trailer. Ooh," Sebastian's face shifted into a lustful smile as he came across a picture of the pink-haired girl in the file. "with looks like that, she should be named after a rare gem. It's a shame your firstborn doesn't know about the young Serpents you've taken under your wing, Mr. Jones," Sebastian commented "It might just earn you his respect. Unfortunately for you, I do know about them. And my father knows about them. And if you ever speak to the authorities about your past dealings with my uncle, we will go after every last one of your children," he promised "both bond and blood." The Chicago native pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket holding up for FP to see a photo of a little girl in grease-covered overalls, helping her mother at a bodyshop in Toledo. Jellybean Jones. "Do I make myself clear?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes," FP answered in a trembling voice.

"Good. Now, my aunt Hermione delivered the payment for your Serpents' role in procuring the Drive-In land in a leather monogram bag. Where is it?"

* * *

"Cheryl knows about the custody battle. Mickey told her at lunch." Veronica Lodge walked side-by-side with Archie and Betty as they prepared to leave school, the New York native informing them on the status of the leader of the Rivervixens. "Josie says she's really upset."

"She shouldn't be. We're not going anywhere."

The New York native raised an eyebrow at the angry tone in Archie's voice. "How's Jughead, B?"

"Not good. Principal Weatherby acted like the fight was his fault," the girl next door responded "and he didn't even do anything. We have got to find a way to clear FP's name and fast."

"Veronica."

The raven-haired princess looked up at the mention of her name, spotting her cousin standing at the end of hall in front of the school doors.

Betty's eyes widened as she spotted the young man standing in the hall. Dear God, he was gorgeous. "Who is that?"

"My cousin. Guys, this is my cousin Sebastian," Veronica introduced "Sebastian, these are my friends: Betty Cooper and Archie-,"

"Andrews," Sebastian finished in a less than friendly tone "We've met."

"We have?"

"In Chicago. You were there everyday of my father's trail. With your mom, the prosecutor."

"I haven't been in Chicago since I was four," Archie corrected "That was-,"

"Me."

All eyes turned to Mickey Andrews as he came around the corner with Reggie, the blue-eyed twin wearing his green field jacket over his denim shirt, while Reggie wore a black leather jacket over a dark blue Henley shirt and jeans.

"Sebastian, this is Archie's brother Mickey," Veronica introduced, instantly noticing the tension between her cousin and the blue-eyed twin. "Mickey, this is-,"

"I know who he is," the blue-eyed twin interrupted coldly "What's he doing here?"

"Just visiting my family. Checking out the local colleges," Sebastian answered casually "I heard your mother stepped down from my uncle Hiram's case. It's probably for the best. Wouldn't want mama to have another...accident."

The Chicago native stood his ground as Mickey lunged at him, his arm pulled back and ready to throw a punch, when Archie and Reggie grabbed both his arms and pulled him down the hall, the blue-eyed twin shouting at the top his lungs. "You stay away from my mother! You _stay away from her_!"

"Mickey!"

The varsity football players slammed the high school baseball star into the lockers, the athlete/musician looking his brother dead in the eye as he snapped "Cool it."

"That is Vincero Santiago's _son_. Why is he here!?"

"He just told you. Visiting Veronica and checking out colleges."

"Bull!" Mickey shouted "That kid's got enough money to buy his way into any ivy league he wants. And now that Mom's off Hiram's case he shows up out of the blue? That can't be a coincidence."

"Where are you going?" Archie asked, as his brother shoved past him and Reggie and marched down the hall.

"To see mom. This custody B.S. stops now."

* * *

"What was that about, Sebastian?"

Veronica Lodge sat with her cousin in a booth at Pop's, the New York native giving him a disappointed look as their milkshakes arrived. "Why did you antagonize Mickey?"

"Just toying with the enemy _,"_ Sebastian replied, taking a long sip from his cappuccino milkshake. "Not bad."

"Mickey Andrews is not your enemy," Veronica argued "You don't even know him."

"He's an Andrews. That's all I need to know. Veronica, that family is out to ruin us," Sebastian insisted "His mother tried to put both our fathers in prison. His old man tried to seduce _Tia_ Hermione and threatened my father. As far as I'm concerned, the entire Andrews family could drop dead tomrrow and I wouldn't bat an eye."

 _Just what Archie and I need,_ Veronica thought _Our very own Mercutio and Tybalt._ "So, how was Carson College?"

"Uneventful. I don't know how you can stand living here, _prima,_ " Sebastian commented, calling her the spanish word for cousin "Compared to New York and Chicago, Riverdale's a snooze-fest." The Chicago native raised an eyebrow as his cell phone went off, reaching into his pocket to check the caller ID. "It's my dad."

"Put it on speaker," Veronica requested.

"Sure. Hey _Padre,_ " Sebastian greeted as he answered the phone "You're on speaker. Veronica's here with me."

" _Hola Tio,"_ The New York native said with a smile. "How are you?"

" _Veronica. Mi_ _pequeña princesa."_

The brunette beauty blushed at her uncle's age-old nickname for her, the spanish translation for little princess.

" _How are you?"_ Vincero asked.

"Better now that I'm talking to my favorite uncle."

" _Veronica,"_ Vincero chuckled bashfully as he reminded _"I'm your only uncle."_

"Which makes your title undisputed."

Vincero laughed. " _Either way, I'm glad I caught you, Veronica. I just got off the phone with your father."_

"Is he alright?" Veronica asked quickly. Ever since the night of the Variety Show, Hiram had cut himself from the outside world, refusing all calls and visits from his wife and daughter.

" _He's...surviving. But the call was mostly about business. Its seems your father is having trouble getting investors for the SoDale project. We may have to increase our contribution to the project. On the bright side, it would also mean we'd be spending great deal of time in Riverdale,"_ Vincero added optimistically _"Maybe even move there until the project gets off the ground."_

Veronica felt her stomach twist up like a New York pretzel at the thought her uncle's family living in the same town as her, fearing what their presence could mean for Archie and his family. "That sounds...wonderful _Tio,_ " she said, forcing a smile.

" _Doesn't it? Your father and I always wanted to go into business together."_

"Veronica, do you think I could talk to my father alone for a minute?" Sebastian requested. The Chicago native stood up from the booth and walked over to an empty corner in the diner. _"Please tell me you aren't actually considering moving us to this hick town,_ " he whispered intensely in spanish.

" _We may not have a choice,"_ Vincero warned _"My superiors have not been pleased with my involvement in your uncle's case."_

" _His is your sister's husband. Your oldest and closest friend. What did they expect you to do?"_ Sebastian asked _"Sit on your thumbs and do nothing after everything he did to orchestrate your release? Your bond with Uncle Hiram is exactly what makes you invaluable to the organization."_

" _And it is that same bond that makes me a liability in the eyes of my superiors. Me and your uncle Hiram. I know what he is planning, Sebastian. The end results is...magnificent,"_ Vincero praised _"We would live like kings, my son. All of us."_

" _Kings,"_ Sebastian repeated _"of Riverdale?"_

" _Did you know that Chicago was once nothing but swamp land?"_ Vincero asked _"And now, it's the third largest city in the United States. You see son, men like us, men with vision, see things differently than the rest of the world. Where they see junk, we see a blank canvas, just waiting for an artist to come along and create a masterpiece. Riverdale is only three hours away from the Canadian border. Combine that with our connections in Mexico, and our family is in a position to control trade across all of the Americas. We would be untouchable, Sebastian. Invincible. There's only one thing standing in our way."_

" _The Serpents?"_

" _The Serpents,"_ Vincero laughed _"No. No, they are a dying breed. Removing them from the board would be as easy as writing a check. There is another player in Riverdale. One whose family has controlled the Canadian trade routes for nearly a century. Rumor has it, he is the one who informed the authorities about your uncle's bookkeeping errors."_

Sebastian scowled. _"Well then maybe I should pay him a visit. Finally make my bones."_

" _No. Your top priority is making sure the Serpents can't use their dealings with Hiram to free their fallen leader,"_ Vincero reminded strictly _"and that means tracking down that bag. Now I made some calls regarding this 'Mustang' you're looking for. I knew him. He joined the Serpents not long before I left the Ghoulies. If memory serves, he has a fondness for our best selling product."_

" _Then it's a good thing I brought some samples with me on the private jet,"_ Sebastian said with a dark smile _"Where can I find him?"_

 _"There's a bar on the Southside. It's the Serpents' base of operations. If you can't find him there, chances are you'll find someone who can lead you to him. I've sent some transportation for you. Wait for it to arrive before you go down there,"_ Vincero advised _"It'll help you blend in."_

" _I'll make you proud,"_ Sebastian promised.

" _You always do, my son. You always do."_

The prince of Windy City crime walked back to his booth, instantly noticing the off-put look on his cousin's face. "What is it?"

"Two weeks ago, one of your father's employees crashed into Mary Andrews' car," Veronica informed after a moment of silence. "Did pay him to do that?"

Sebastian paused, remembering what his aunt Hermione had told him this morning regarding Veronica and the family business. _"She's not ready."_

"Of course not," Sebastian lied "my father would never do something like that. That employee had one too many mojitos watching soccer games with his friends. Which is why _padre_ fired him the next day."

Veronica let out a much needed breath of relief. "I just had to be sure. The way Mickey said how it happened...I just needed to be sure."

"Don't put too much stock into what the Andrews tell you _prima,"_ Sebastian advised "They'll turn you against your family. And at the end of the day, there is nothing more sacred than family."

Veronica nodded. No matter what happened, her family had always stood together through adversity. That was how they survived. And right now, Hiram needed her. Now more than ever. With a small smile, the New York native picked up her milkshake and raised it high. "To family."

Sebastian smiled as he clinked his glass with hers. "To _familia."_

* * *

"I am only going to ask this one more time."

Mickey stood in his mother's hotel room later than afternoon, speaking to Mary in a firm, respectful tone. "Don't take Dad to court."

"I'm sorry Mickey," Mary apologized "but my mind is made up."

"Fine. I just hope you're ready to face the consequences if you lose."

Mary blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sebastian Santiago is in town," Mickey informed "He threatened you. Right to my face. Six months ago, you put his father on trial and lost. Then he tried to have your car wrapped around a pole," he reminded "You just spent the past three months putting his best friend and brother-in-law, Hiram Lodge, on trial for similar charges. And just when things started heating up, his wife decides to move right in our backyard, gets a job at Dad's office, and drops a major deal in his lap. One that will help Hiram Lodge rebuild if he wins the case. Dad had an affair Hiram's wife, which means Hiram is going to come after him if he gets out. When judge finds this out, he might take us away from you and dad. Is that what you want, Mom?"

The look on Mary's face was all the answer Mickey needed. "When did you learn to talk like a lawyer?" she asked.

"Last summer. Watching you." The blue-eyed twin reached into his backpack and pulled out a stack of printed legal papers. "The only way everyone gets what they want is if you and dad sign this."

Mary curiously flipped through the pages. "A settlement?"

Mickey nodded. "It says that you and Dad get joint custody of me and Archie. We spend the summer with you and spend the school year here with Dad. Just like you said when you got here."

"You wrote this yourself?"

"Best I could. I had Mayor McCoy look over the details. Mom, I love you," Mickey reminded "and I know you're mad at Dad and I don't blame you. But if you take him to court, you won't be punishing him. You'll be punishing me and Archie."

Mary took her son's words to heart and sighed. "If you can get your father to agree to this, then so will I."

* * *

"I understand. Thank you." Fred sighed as he hung up the house phone, tugging at the silver horse pendant around his neck as he turned to face his son. "That was Principal Weatherbee. He thinks it's best if Jughead finishes the semester from home. Maybe the rest of the school year."

"This is crazy," Archie insisted "Cheryl attacked him, not the other way around. Isn't there someone we can call, like the school board?"

"Son, I'm not Jughead's legal guardian," Fred reminded "and FP is facing decades in prison. Maybe the rest of his life."

"You can't honestly think that FP killed Jason."

"I think that something broke in my best friend when we were in Iraq," Fred answered grimly "something that is not easy to fix."

"You made it back okay."

"I got lucky. I had a father who taught me how to fight the same ghosts that haunted him after Vietnam. FP cut his old man off the second he turned eighteen. Look bottom line, Jughead needs a long-term solution. And that isn't us."

"Why not?" Archie shouted.

"Because it is my job to protect you and your brother."

"From Jughead?"

"No, from the trouble that follows FP around," Fred explained "ever since he first put on that Serpent jacket. A choice that the people closest to him always end up paying for. I've paid for it. Jughead's paying for it. Gladys and Jellybean paid for it. I won't have you and Mickey caught in that storm," Fred promised "even if it means you have to live your mom."

"You can't be serious."

"I am if it keeps you two out of trouble. Archie, you slept with your teacher," Fred reminded "you dragged your brother and your friends down to Southside picked a bar fight with the Serpents. And now I'm hearing rumors that you threw a rave while I was in Chicago?"

Archie's heart started pounding. His blood started boiling. His voice began to rumble with a growing anger. "Dad, I know I've made mistakes. And if that means you have ground me until Christmas, do it. But I am not going anywhere with _her._ "

"She's your mother."

"She stopped being my mother the day she abandoned us," Archie snapped, his eyes smoldering with a long-burning fury. "You're the one who stayed. You're the one who told me and Mickey everything was going to be okay. The one who doubled the weight he pulled around the house and pulled double overtime at work when Riverdale was hit with a recession. The one who did everything to keep this family together with his bare hands, all while grieving the loss of his wife and the death of his unborn daughter." Archie's eyes began to shine with a fiery pride as he looked his father straight in the face. "We're the Andrews. And Andrews fight. So let's fight this and keep our family together."

"You're serious?"

"Miss Grundy has been gone for months. There's no way she can proved anything happened between us," Archie insisted "We can beat this, Dad."

At that moment, Mickey Andrews came running in the back door, his cheeks red and his lungs crying out for breath. "I did it," he gasped "I got Mom to settle. We don't have to go to court," he told Fred, handing him a stack of legal papers "All you have to do, is sign this."

Fred glanced at Archie as he hefted the papers in his hands. "No."

"No?"

"If you're mother's willing to settle something like this out of court, it's because she knows she can't beat us in front of a jury," Fred explained "This settlement isn't an olive branch, son. It's a Trojan Horse."

"She's willing to settle because I convinced her that this is what's best for everyone. Dad, this is a good deal," Mickey insisted "Mayor McCoy looked it over herself."

"Sierra? Now I know this is a trap," Fred scoffed "Mickey, your mother and the mayor have best friends for years. They worked at the legal clinic together. They were the captains of the Riverdale High debate team. If she wrote this deal, it's so she could leave your mom a million different loopholes to take you boys away from me the second my back is turned."

"Don't do this, Dad."

Fred paused momentarily at the pleading look on the blue-eyed twin's face. "I'm sorry, son. I know this isn't what you want, but the only way to end this once and for all is to take your mother to court."

* * *

Mickey barely said a word after that, the blue-eyed twin finally breaking his silence as he and Archie lay awake in their room that night. Four words. "What did you do?"

"I talked Dad into fighting back instead of giving up," Archie answered shamelessly "Do you want us to move to Chicago?"

"What I want is for our parents to stop fighting," Mickey snapped, sitting up in his bed "I want our family to pull itself back together, not tear itself apart. I was this close, this close," he repeated, holding a pair of fingers less than an inch apart "to putting this to bed. And now, thanks to your little pep talk, Dad's ready to go to w-," The blue-eyed twin's voice trailed off as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye, causing him to turn away from his brother and look out the bedroom window. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Archie asked, watching his brother jump out of bed and rapidly get dressed "Mickey, what is it?"

"Someone's breaking into Betty's house."

"What?"

Archie's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he jumped out of bed and raced over to the window, where he spotted a shadow-covered figure making his way into the Cooper house. Archie's heart started pounding. His blood started boiling. His mind started racing as the image of a heartless mugger pointing a gun at Betty Cooper took over his subconscious, filling him with dread. And rage.

* * *

"How did you know we could get in through the cellar?"

Archie Andrews walked side by side with his brother as they made their way through the dark, underground floor of the Cooper house, the brown-eyed twin wearing a dark blue pullover hoodie, gym shorts and sneakers as he and Mickey prepared to face the mysterious house burglar before he could reach Alice and Betty.

"I was Polly's lookout whenever she wanted to meet up with Jason last spring," Mickey whispered, the blue-eyed twin wearing a half open zip-up sweatshirt with his pajama pants and boots, carrying a wooden baseball bat in one hand. "I know every way in and out of his house. The cellar's the easiest way in. Mr. Cooper never fixed the lock."

The Andrews brothers quietly made their way into the ground floor of the Cooper house, where they found the intruder rummaging through Hal's desk.

Archie's blood turned to fire. His heart pounded like a war drum. His eyes saw nothing but red.

"Wait." Mickey placed firm hand on his brother's chest, keeping him from lunging at the mysterious burglar, whispering in Scots Gaelic as he hefted his bat _"I'll get him off balance. Then you tackle him."_

The blue-eyed twin gripped the bat with both hands as he tentatively tiptoed towards the intruder, raising it high over his head as he brought it down on his back with a thud.

The intruder let out a shout as the bat collided with his spine, causing him to fall down on one knee in pain.

"Now!" Mickey shouted.

Archie charged around the corner as fast as he could, ramming his shoulder into the stranger's chest as he slammed him into the ground. The brown-eyed twin raised his fist high as he prepared to deliver the final blow, only to stop when he recognized the intruder's face. "Mr. Cooper?"

Mickey's eyes widened as he took a long look at the intruder's face. Sure enough, it was Betty and Polly's father. "What are you doing here?"

"At the moment, praying my back isn't broken," Hal answered with a groan.

"Freeze!"

The three men jumped in shock as Alice and Betty came into view, the blonde-haired mother pointing a gun right at them.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! It's us!" they shouted.

Alice huffed as she lowered the gun and sighed. "Somebody better start explaining right now."

* * *

Sebastian walked into the White Wyrm at half past midnight, now wearing a collared black leather jacket instead of his pea coat, silently surveying the room as he stood in the doorway. He wasn't sure what this Mustang looked like, but if this place was anything like the dive bars Vincero used to work out of when Sebastian was little, odds were the bartender knew everybody. The Chicago native unzipped his jacket as he walked over to the bar, his eyes widening slightly as noticed who was serving drinks, a beautiful young woman with light brown hair, covered with soft pink streaks. Toni Topaz. That's right, FP got her a part-time job here. No doubt so he could keep an eye on her. _Santa Maria,_ she was even more gorgeous in person. The Chicago native gave the pink-haired girl a small smile as he sat down at the bar. "Rum and Coke, please."

"Going to need to see some ID." The pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow as he slid her a crisp fifty dollar bill. "Coming right up."

"Thank you." Sebastian's eyes roamed the young bartender's body as she made his drink, the pink-haired Serpent wearing a dark grey tank top and black leather leggings, a red and white flannel shirt tied around her waist and a black bandanna tied across her head.

Toni caught the hot stranger checking her out and gave him a warning glance as she handed him his drink. "You're not from around her, are you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you rode up on a brand new Yamaha YZF-R6, and most people in this town only ride vintage Harleys that they can barely afford," she explained "That, and I think I'd remember a face like yours."

Sebastian smirked. Nice to know the attraction was mutual.

"You might want to finish your drink quick, pretty boy," Toni advised "The regulars here aren't too friendly to strangers."

"You don't think I can take of myself?"

Toni chuckled. "You're wearing a $1,000 dollar jacket and you ride a sportbike fresh off the line. If you're not from the Northside, you're visiting someone who does."

"Guilty. My aunt and my cousin live in the wealthiest part of town. But I'm far more comfortable in places like this than I am bumping elbows with the one percent."

"Yeah, right."

"It's true," Sebastian insisted "My family has money now, but we didn't always. Until I was thirteen, we lived in this sorry excuse of an apartment. The walls were cracked, the heater never worked. And I'm pretty sure those trailers I passed on the way here had better plumbing."

"Doubt it."

"My father did whatever it took to provide for his family," Sebastian went on "while my mother prayed for him to come home in one piece every night. And when my father got into trouble, I'd do my part, hiding the evidence in my toy box until my father could get rid of it. We're not as different as you think."

Toni studied the young man's eyes as he took a sip of his drink, recognizing the hardened gaze that marked so many that occupied the Southside. "Maybe not."

"Besides, I was invited. I'm looking for an old friend of my father's," Sebastian explained "Goes by Mustang. You know him?"

"Yeah. He's right over there." Toni directed the Chicago native's attention to a bearded man in a beanie playing pool with some friends, his nose badly bruised and swollen. "Be careful. He's been in a bad mood the past few days," Toni warned "some Northsiders showed up last week and broke his nose. Wouldn't want him to mess that pretty face of yours."

"I'll keep that in mind." The Windy City prince of crime picked up his drink and walked over to the pool tables, mentally preparing himself for the event that things might get ugly. "You Mustang?"

"You've got to be kidding me." The Serpent's eyes blazed with fury as the young man walked over, gripping his pool cue like it was a weapon. "I have had up to here with kids."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sebastian suggested, opening his jacket to show a hint of the gun strapped to his hip. "Wouldn't want you to cause a scene. Especially when my father sent me all the way from Chicago to talk business with you."

"Your father?"

"Vincero Santiago." Sebastian always loved the look on people's faces when they found out about who his family was. The Windy City prince of crime took another sip of drink as the scales of power tipped in his favor. "Like I said, I have a business proposition for you."

"What kind of business?" Mustang asked.

"Repossession. FP Jones gave you a monogram leather bag recently. I'm here to take it off your hands."

"What's Vincero Santiago want with a stupid bag?"

"Sentiment. And I am willing to pay you handsomely for it," Sebastian offered "Two thousand dollars. Plus a free sample of our family's...product."

The way Mustang's eyes widened at the mention of free drugs, Sebastian knew this was a done deal.

"The City Centre Motel. Three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. I'll have the bag by then," Mustang promised.

"I'll bring the payment." Sebastian smiled confidently as he walked back to bar, watching Toni work as he finished his drink. Business was done. Now it was time for pleasure.

"That was quick visit," Toni commented as he sat back down at the bar.

"He's hanging with the guys. We're going to grab lunch tomorrow. But in the meantime,"

The pink-haired Serpent raised an eyebrow as Sebastian pulled out a pen from his jacket and started writing on one of the napkins, sliding it over to her along with the payment for his drink. "What is that?"

"My number. In case you want to...ride bikes while I'm in town."

Toni raised an eyebrow at the suggestive tone in his voice. This guy was not interested in riding bikes. "And just what makes you think I like to ride?"

"You knew exactly what kind of bike I rode in on, even though you can't see it from the bar. That means you recognized by the sound," Sebastian praised, licking his lips as he glanced at the low cut neck of her shirt "most beautiful women can't do that. Which is why I assumed that you ride."

"Guilty. But I don't think your little Yamaha can handle me," Toni warned, speaking in a low, husky voice. "Us Harley girls like a ride with a little more power. And size."

"Oh, don't let the rumors fool you _bonita,_ " Sebastian insisted "I've got more enough to take you on a wild ride."

" _Bonita,_ " Toni repeated with a chuckle "Is this how you do things in Chicago? A couple spanish pet names and all the girls think you're a latin lover?"

"My family tree has its roots in Mexico, Brazil, Cuba and Puerto Rico," Sebastian stated proudly "I am a latin lover _."_

"Alright Rico Suave," Toni said with a smirk, grabbing her jacket as she walked out from behind the bar "Let's go for a ride."

* * *

"Let me see if I have this straight: you boys decided to play hero, sneak into my house, and beat my husband in the middle of the night. What, was calling the police too boring for you?"

Mickey sat at the Cooper dinner table with Archie, Betty, Alice and Hal, the blue-eyed twin resisting the urge to scowl at the blonde mother's recap of recent of events. "One, we didn't know it was Mr. Cooper. Two, if we did call the cops, you two could've been robbed or shot by the time Sheriff Keller got here. And three, if he were a real burglar, we'd have him tied up with a bow on his head by now."

Betty rolled her eyes as the Andrews bumped fists. "Dad, what are you doing here? What is this stuff?" she asked, ruffling the scattered papers on the table.

"I broke into Sheriff Keller's house on the last night of the Drive-In," Hal confessed "I stole his case files on the Jason Blossom investigation."

"That doesn't make any sense," Betty protested "FP said he stole the files. Why would he confess to something he didn't do?"

"I have no idea."

"I think a better question is why your father is stealing case files and hiding evidence," Alice chimed in.

"I didn't want the authorities to trace the investigation back to Polly," he explained "If they got wind of our past with the Blossoms…,"

"That great-grandpa Cooper was killed by a Blossom? Dad, that's ancient history," Betty insisted.

"Betty, your great-grandfather wasn't just killed by a Blossom," Hal corrected, nervously wringing his hands together "He was a Blossom. My grandfather and Clifford's grandfather were brothers. After the murder, my grandmother took our family to Denmark, where they stayed until my father was about your age. When they returned, it was under the English translation of my grandmother's maiden name. Cooper."

Betty's face shifted from shock to horror. "I'm...a Blossom?"

"Polly's a Blossom," Alice realized "which makes her and Jason-,"

"Cousins," Archie finished in an awestruck voice.

"That's why I didn't want her to Jason," Hal explained.

"And you didn't think telling her the truth was an option?" Mickey asked.

Archie recognized the tone in his brother's voice instantly. The bear was loose. Mickey had always been protective of Polly. But ever since her time at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, even more so. Archie knew why, of course. Despite all their best efforts, Mickey still believed that if he hadn't told the Coopers what Riverdale's star-crossed lovers were planning, Jason and Polly might've gotten their happily ever after.

"Everything I did, I did to protect Polly," Hal justified.

"You lied to her," Mickey snarled "her entire life. You sent her to an insane asylum just for getting pregnant and tried to force her into getting an abortion. You ask me, you're the one she needs protection."

"I have had enough," Hal snapped, in a surprisingly dark tone "of your self-righteous attitude. You had better start talking to me with some respect before-,"

"Before you do what? Hit me? Go ahead and try it old man," Mickey challenged, shooting up from his seat as he grabbed his bat "I dare you."

"That is enough!" Alice snapped, placing herself between her husband and her neighbor "We need to get Polly out of Thornhill, now. Hal, Betty, let's go."

"We're going with you," Mickey announced.

Hal scoffed. "Not a chance."

"Either we go with you, or you can explain to the Sheriff why his missing case files were in your basement," Mickey threatened "Your choice."

* * *

Sebastian and Toni rode side-by-side in the middle of the night, the sound their motorcycle engines roaring through the near empty streets, the two of them racing far beyond the speed limit as they came to a screeching halt in front of the Pembrooke.

Toni inspected the luxurious building as she hopped off her bike. "This is where your relatives live?"

"My cousin was born with a silver spoon in her mouth." The Chicago native walked up the porch steps and politely opened the door. "Ladies first."

The pink-haired biker smirked as walked through the doorway, giving Sebastian a sensual stare as they locked eyes. "Flattery will only get you so far, pretty boy," she whispered.

The two teenagers walked into the grand lobby, their steps echoing across the room as they came across an old butler sitting behind a security desk.

"The lady's with me, Smithers," Sebastian informed the old man, handing him a crisp fifty dollar bill.

The old man's eyes widened as Toni walked past, instantly noticing the patch on the back of her jacket. "Mr. Santiago-,"

"Smithers," Sebastian turned back around and spoke to the butler in a firm voice, slipping another fifty into his coat pocket "The lady's my guest."

"Yeah, Smithers. The lady's his guest," Toni echoed, mocking the butler's disapproving glare.

The two teenagers quietly slipped into the Lodge's apartment, the son of the Windy City barely having time to lock the door behind him before Toni pulled him into a sudden kiss. Sebastian's heart raced as the pink-haired girl smashed her lips against his, struggling to lead her into the guestroom as he kissed her back with equal measure. Eager to get the gorgeous young gangster in bed, Sebastian grabbed Toni by her legs and effortlessly picked her up, carrying her into his room and gently tossing her onto the bed as he closed the door with his foot.

The pink-haired bartender shot from the soft mattress and pinned Sebastian against the wall, kissing him passionately as they tossed each other's jackets to the ground.

"Whoa." Toni's eyes widened as she felt something strange on Sebastian hip, looking down to see a jet black beretta with a glossy pearl grip strapped to his waist.

Sebastian chuckled. "Don't tell me little miss biker gang is afraid of a simple handgun."

"How did you know I was in a gang?"

"Your jacket," Sebastian lied "My father and aunt grew up on the Westside of town. I knew was entering the lion's den when I walked in that bar. Or should I say, the Serpent's den."

Toni felt her heart race as Sebastian used his gun to tug at the neck of her shirt, revealing a hint of the black bra she wore underneath. "I'm starting to think you might be more dangerous than I thought."

"Does it scare you?"

"That depends. Does this scare you?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow as he heard the sound of a pocket knife being opened, looking down to see a stiletto switchblade pointed right at his crotch. "You do know this gun is loaded, right?"

"You do know the safety's still on, right?" Toni knew he wouldn't shoot. She could see it in his eyes. This was a game, an extreme form of roleplay. One she was more than willing to play. "Now be a good boy, and give me the gun."

Sebastian stayed silent as he obeyed, twirling the gun around in his hand as he gave it to her hilt first.

Toni grinned, relishing in the power she had over the stranger from Chicago, raising her knife from his waist and pointing it at his chest. "Take off your shirt," she ordered in a low, husky voice "before I cut it off."

Sebastian's lustful eyes wavered as did as she asked, pulling the turtleneck over his head. "My grandmother made me this."

"It's nice." Toni's lust went into overdrive as Sebastian removed his shirt, revealing his sculpted chest and abs. Oh yeah, she could definitely work with this. "Sit on the edge of the bed. It's for that ride you promised me."

* * *

Alice Cooper pounded her fist against the front door of Thornhill, standing outside with Hal, Betty, Archie and Mickey, as Clifford and Penelope Blossom answered the door.

"What are you people doing here?" Clifford demanded "It's the middle of the night."

"Don't worry. We won't be long," Alice promised, pushing her way inside. "Polly! Polly!" she shouted.

"What have you people done with our daughter?" Hal demanded.

"She's sleeping," Penelope answered "like we were. Until you ruffians came barging in. What is the meaning of this?"

"Your little breeding project ends now!" Alice snapped "Clifford and Hal's grandfathers weren't just business partners, they were brothers."

As the Blossoms and the Coopers continued to argue, Mickey placed a hand on both Archie and Betty's shoulder. "Follow me."

The blue-eyed twin lead his brother and his neighbor away from the front door and around the corner to the east side of the house, where the roof was closest to the ground to provide shade for those who chose to sit on the patio next to the pool.

"Mickey," Betty's eyes widened as her neighbor jumped up and grabbed the edge of the roof, climbing his way on the house with ease "what are you doing?"

"We have to get to Polly first. Betty, your dad wants your sister to get an abortion. Now that Alice knows why, do really you think she's going to try and stop him?"

Realizing the dark turn the night was approaching, Betty tightened the bow in her hair and followed Mickey's lead, jumping up to grab the roof with both hands and climbed up on the roof.

"Wait up." Archie called, grunting as he climbed up and followed his brother and his best friend across the snow-covered roof of Thornhill. "Where are we going?"

"Cheryl's room," Mickey answered "How do you think I snuck in without her parents knowing last spring?" The blue-eyed twin came to a stop as he spotted a familiar window, gently tapping his knuckles against the glass.

Cheryl Blossom came to the window less than a minute later, wearing a silk pink nightie that made Mickey's heart skip a beat. "I must say, I have missed the sight of you climbing in my window. Unfortunately, I'm not really in the mood for a booty call." The scarlet bombshell frowned as her boyfriend helped Archie and Betty climb in her window. "What is going on?"

"We need to talk to Polly," Mickey requested "It's important."

Noticing the serious tone in his voice, Cheryl led Archie, Betty and Mickey across the hall and into her late brother's bedroom, where Polly Cooper lay fast asleep.

Mickey quickly turned on the light and hurried to her side, gently nudging her shoulder back and forth. "Polly. Polly, wake up."

The young mother-to-be took in a sharp breath as she opened her eyes, looking up to sister and her friends standing over her. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Get dressed. We're getting you out of here. Archie, keep an eye on the window," Mickey ordered "Reggie will be here soon."

"Reggie?" Polly sat up in bed as her best friend grabbed her suitcases and started packing, ripping her clothes out the closet and throwing them into her luggage. "Mickey, what is going on?"

"The Blossom are going to kill your babies," he revealed, not looking up from the suitcase as he continued packing "We have to get you out of here now."

"Mickey, I told you, my mother would never do anything to hurt the babies," Cheryl reminded.

"It's not your mom I'm worried about, it's your dad. Those babies are the living proof of the secret of the Blossom-Cooper family feud."

"Proof of what?" Polly demanded "What are you talking about?"

"Polly," Betty sat down on the edge of the bed and took her sister's hand "There's something you should know."

She told her everything. That old man Blossom and old man Cooper were brothers. How great-grandma Cooper moved the family to Denmark to escaped the memories of the past. How she raised her children to hate the Blossoms.

Polly's eyes swelled with tears of shock and disbelief. "Jason...was my cousin?"

Betty nodded. "That's why Dad didn't want you see him. "

"It's also why he wanted you to get an abortion," Mickey added, slamming one of the suitcases shut "We need to get you as far away from your dad as possible. Him and Clifford Blossom."

"Mickey, slow down," Archie pleaded "Just because Hal wants to get rid of the babies doesn't mean Clifford wants to."

"Are you kidding? He's got a million more reasons than Hal does. Literally. When Jason died, the Blossom Maple stock took a serious his," Mickey reminded "If word got out that the CEO's son knocked up his cousin, their points would get torpedoed."

"Mickey's right," Cheryl agreed "Polly does have to leave. But not for the reasons you think. When great-granddaddy Blossom died, he left specific instructions for the future of Blossom Maple. That every member of the Blossom bloodline would receive a portion of control of the company. Every Blossom," she emphasized.

Betty's eyes widened. "You're saying that every Cooper has a right to a stake in Blossom Maple stock?"

Cheryl nodded. "The shares are divided by those who have the most direct lineage to the company's founders. If the Blossoms and the Coopers really are two distant branches of the same family tree, then Polly's babies are the direct descendants of both founders. Whoever has custody of those twins will control the future of a multi-million dollar company for the next eighteen years."

That was all Mickey needed to hear. "Polly, you have to go."

"Go where?" she demanded "I can't stay here, I can't go home."

"The Five Seasons. My mom has a room there. She says you can stay with here until she goes back to Chicago."

"You have got to be kidding me." Archie's blood started to boil at the very mention of his mother. "She tries to takes us away from Dad, and you ask her for help?"

"You got a better idea? Look, Reggie will be here any minute. We've got to get Polly out of here before Hal and Clifford get up here."

"Mickey's right. Polly, the the Blossoms drugged you the night of the Homecoming dance," Betty revealed, earning a shocked look from her sister "If we don't get you someplace safe now, you may never get the chance to hold your babies in your arms."

As Betty and Archie helped Polly finish packing, Cheryl reached over and took Mickey's hand. "I have something for you."

* * *

"Happy Birthday."

Mickey stood with Cheryl in the hallway between hers and Jason's rooms, the blue-eyed twin holding a white gift box tied with a silky green bow.

"I know it's a little early," Cheryl said with a blush.

"Only by a few hours," Mickey joked. Truth be told, with everything that was going on, he'd completely forgotten it was his birthday. Mickey and Archie were now sixteen. The blue-eyed twin felt an excited smile tug at the corners of his lips as he untied the ribbon on the box, removing the lid to reveal a dark green, cable knit henley sweater with patches on the shoulders.

"Rosie, this is beautiful. Thank you." Mickey frowned as he attempted to take her hand, only for her to pull away. "This isn't just a birthday present, is it?"

Cheryl shook her head. "I thought it might keep you warm...when you're in Chicago." The leader of the Rivervixens felt her throat start to clench up at the mention of the Windy City. She didn't want to do this. But she had to let him go. She would never forgive herself if she held him back. "I think it's best if we don't see each other anymore."

"I don't, " Mickey disputed desperately "Cheryl, I love you."

"And I love you. But can you honestly tell me that your mother won't make you you move to Chicago?"

Mickey was silent. Truth be told, he didn't know how the custody case would turn out. All he knew was that it would be a bloodbath. One where he and Archie would have front row seats to watch their parents tear each other apart.

"You will always be my first love," Cheryl promised "and I will never forget you. I hope you won't forget about me." The gothic heroine's eyes filled with tears as she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye Teddy Bear."

* * *

"Thanks Mom. This means a lot."

Mickey stood with Mary and Archie in the middle of her hotel room, the auburn-haired mother wearing her white hotel robe, watching Reggie and Betty get Polly settled in.

"Glad I could help. I just can't believe Hal and Alice sent Polly to an asylum," Mary gasped.

"I never should've told them what Jason and Polly were planning," Mickey whispered.

"Hey." Mary placed a gentle hand on her son's shoulder "You had no idea what the Coopers were going to do. You were just trying to help a friend. How is she?"

"Still trying to come to terms with the fact that her fiance was her cousin."

"Mrs. Andrews", Betty Cooper smiled as she walked over, a deeply grateful look on her face "thank you. Thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure Betty," Mary told her with a smile "It's pretty late. I could give you kids a ride home if you want."

"I called Dad on the way here," Archie informed in an icy tone "He's on his way to pick us up. I'll wait for in the lobby."

Mary felt her heart start to crack at the spiteful look on her son's face. "Archie-,"

"This doesn't change anything," he told her, slamming the door on his way out.

"I'll talk to him," Betty promised, following her best friend out the room.

Mickey gave his mother a sympathetic look as he walked over to Polly and Reggie's side, the young expecting mother wearing one of Jason's old Riverdale High water polo sweatshirts and black leggings while Reggie wore a black zip-up hoodie, black track pants with white stripes going down the legs and a black leather jacket.

"Hey, Poll. How you feeling?"

"Okay. I guess," Polly said an emotionally drained voice "I just want this...mess to be over."

"FP's going on trial any day now," Reggie told her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder "Soon that Serpent scum's going rot for what he did."

"Do you really think FP killed Jason Blossom?" Mickey asked.

"Of course. Don't you?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. FP said he was the one that stole Sheriff Keller's case files, but Polly's dad did it."

"Why would FP take the blame for something my dad did?" Polly asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know. Betty thinks he might lying about killing Jason too. Covering for someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know." Mickey sighed as he ran a weary hand over his face, trying to figure out what they missed. _Remember what Grandpa used to say,_ he thought _Start from the beginning and work your way from there._ Jason and Polly started dating last winter. Their fathers tried to keep them apart because they knew that Jason and Polly were cousins. But Jason and Polly kept seeing each other and fell in love. Polly got pregnant and when Jason found out, he proposed. The two of them made a plan to leave Riverdale and start an new life. To get the money they'd need, Jason started selling-wait. "What was he selling drugs?"

Polly frowned at her best friend's sudden outburst. "Who?"

"Jason. He was selling drugs," Mickey repeated "Why?"

"To buy a farm for Polly and the kids," Reggie answered obviously.

"But he didn't have to. Clifford Blossom left Cheryl and Jason each a two million dollar trust fund," Mickey told them, remembering his talk with Cheryl "If he got emancipated, he would've had enough money to buy a farm, a new car and start a trust fund for the twins. Instead, he sold drugs for the Southside Serpents. Why?"

"Because he hated his family," Polly answered "When Jason found out how his father did business, he was ashamed. He said he didn't want anything to do with the Blossom family legacy. And that he wanted to keep our babies as far away from that life as possible. That's why he wanted to fake his death."

"What's so shameful about selling maple syrup?" Reggie scoffed "The amount of calories and sugar in each bottle?"

"He wouldn't tell me. All he said was that it had something to do with his cousin Terry."

"Cousin Terry?" Mickey repeated "he died of an overdose when we were kids. What's he got to do with any of this?"

"I told you, Jason wouldn't tell me."

Mickey was really confused now. Cousin Terry was the reason Cheryl couldn't believe that Jason would ever sell drugs. And now Polly claimed that Terry was the reason Jason was selling drugs? "We need to check out one of the Blossom's maple factories. It's the only way we can figure out what Jason was running from."

"Newsflash: there is no Blossom maple factory in Riverdale anymore," Reggie reminded "They moved them all to Canada, remember?"

"I know."

Reggie blinked as he realized what his best friend was implying. "You want us to go to Canada, find a Blossom maple syrup factory and look for anything that could tell us why Jason wanted to fake his death?"

"Yep."

"I'm in."

Mickey smiled. No matter what life threw at him, he could always count on Reggie to have his back.

"I'm going too," Polly decided "Jason was my fiance. The father of my children. I am going to find out what happened to him."

One look at Polly's face, and Mickey knew there was no talking her out of it. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Quick question: How are we going to get to Canada?" Reggie wondered "It's not like our parents are going to just hand over our passports."

"Why not?" Mickey asked "That's exactly what they're going to do."

Reggie recognized the look on his face in an instant. "I don't know what you're planning, but I know I'm going to love it."

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me."

Alice Cooper stood stood with her husband in the middle of Mary's hotel room, with Fred, Archie, Betty, Mary, Mickey, Polly, Reggie, Melinda and Marty Mantle, trying to process their children's request. "Vancouver? You want us to let you kids go to Vancouver?"

"Jason and I wanted to go their for our honeymoon," Polly lied "I just want to see it, before the babies are born. And if I can't go with my husband, the I'd like to go with my two best friends."

"There's a flight leaving in a few hours. Reggie can drive us and I can pay for the tickets with the money I was saving for a car," Mickey offered "We just need you guys to give us our passports."

"This is absurd," Hal protested "Can't you all see what this is? She's just using this as an excuse to run away again. And these two are helping her," he added, pointing a finger at the two high school athletes.

Mickey scoffed. "If Polly wanted to run, we'd be on the road by now, not here asking for your permission."

"Watch it, young man," Hal warned, jabbing a threatening finger in Mickey's face "You're still on thin ice for kidnapping my daughter."

"All I did was keep my best friend out of the hands of a psycho and his cousin."

"I have just about enough out of you, you little-,"

"Hal." The whole room went silent as Fred Andrews spoke, the construction worker wearing a green and black shirt jacket over a black t-shirt, grey pajamas and work boots, giving his neighbor a warning glare as he lunged at Mickey "You lay one hand on my son and we are going to have a serious problem."

The blonde reporter became as still as a statue at the look in Fred's eyes, remembering what happened to those that got on his bad side back in high school.

"Son, I understand why you want to take this trip," Fred acknowledged "Why so sudden?"

"Because the custody case is in less than a week," Mickey reminded "and I'd like to have one last adventure with my friends before then."

"Sweetheart, even if I win the case, I wouldn't just tear you away from your friends without giving you a chance to say goodbye. Now, if you and your friends really want to take a trip together, we plan something-,"

"No. We have to do this now," Mickey insisted "You owe us."

"Excuse me?"

The blue-eyed twin walked over the his mother's bed and removed the lid to his white gift box, pulling out the green sweater. "Cheryl gave me this on the way out of Thornhill. Called it a goodbye-slash-happy birthday present."

Both Fred and Mary suppressed a groan as they realized what today was.

They felt guilty. Good. Just like Mickey planned. "You two have spent so much time at each other's throats, that you forgot it was your kids' birthday," Mickey stated with a hint of disappointment "well this year, I don't want a party. I don't want a car, I don't want to want to get my driver's license. I don't even want a birthday cake. All I want is one day, one day," he repeated "to spend with my best friends before I'm ripped away from the only home I've ever known."

Fred tugged at the silver horse pendant around his neck as he studied his son's pleading face. "One day?"

"One day," Mickey repeated "We'll be back by tomorrow morning, I swear."

Fred sighed. A year ago, he never would've considered letting his son go to another country on his own. But after watching Mickey at work for the past few months, going above and beyond day in and day out… "Okay. You can go," he permitted ignoring the look on Mary's face.

"Wait a minute," Alice interrupted "You may be willing to okay your son's birthday blackmail trip, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let my pregnant daughter go to another country unsupervised."

"If you let me go, I'll come back home," Polly permitted "but I am keeping my babies."

Before Hal could even utter a letter, Alice answered for the both of them. "Deal."

"Reggie, you can go too," Melinda Mantle permitted, after a quiet discussion with her husband "but you have to start paying a portion of your car insurance."

"Alright," Reggie sighed "looks like bouncing back from Homecoming's going to be harder than I thought."

"Fred," Mary gave her estranged husband a confrontational look "you can't be serious."

"And why not?"

"You want to send our son to another country by himself?" Mary questioned "After he snuck out and broke into to two houses"

"Oh, you have got some nerve." Fred's blood started boil as he started to see red. "You knew exactly what the boys were up to, and you didn't tell me anything. What, were you planning to blindside me with this whole mess in court?"

"Stop it. Stop it!" Mickey shouted "This is exactly what I'm talking about. You guys have been fighting so much, it's like I don't even recognize you anymore. "

"Mickey, I am sorry this has been so hard for you, " Mary apologized "and I'm sorry we didn't plan anything for your birthday. But I just don't feel comfortable letting you and your friends go to Canada by yourselves."

She wouldn't budge. Mickey knew his mother well enough to know that when she got like this,nothing could change her mind. Nothing except…

"I'll live with you."

Mickey could practically hear Fred's heart break. "If you let me go to Vancouver, I'll tell the judge that I want to live with you," he repeated, looking his mother in the eye as a lump formed in his throat "just let me finish the semester here."

Mary was quiet for a moment, the wheels turning rapidly in her head as she considered Mickey's offer. Before he came to live with her, Mickey got into a fight every other week. Until he came to live with Mary. Now, she couldn't find record of a single incident since. Combined with his choice of her over Fred and win or lose, custody of one of her sons was all but guaranteed.

"Call. If you want to go, you have to stay in contact," Mary stipulated "call when you get on the plane, call when off the flight, and call when you're on your way home."

"Done."

At that moment, Archie balled his fists and marched out, slamming the door behind him as Mickey followed.

* * *

"Archie. Archie!" Mickey chased after his brother as he marched towards the elevator, grabbing the brown-eyed twin by the arm and forcing him to turn around and look him in the eye. "Bro, will you just listen to me, please?"

"Two years. She walked out of our lives for two years!" Archie shouted "and after one summer, you're willing to forgive her and stab Dad in the back?"

"We're going to Vancouver to investigate! Look, something about the Blossom family business made Jason want to fake his death," Mickey reminded "if we can check out their main factory in Vancouver, maybe we can find out what Jason was running from. Maybe even who killed him."

"And what if you can't? Mickey, you basically agreed to let Mom take you to Chicago." The brown-eyed twin paused as a lump formed in his throat. "We're sophomores, man. We've got two more years before college. And now we're going to spend them in different states?"

Mickey pulled his brother into a tight hug, trying to ignore the stinging sensation in his eyes. "We will always be brothers, Archie. No matter what happens, that will never change," he promised, squeezing his eyes shut "not ever."

* * *

"You didn't have to do that."

Polly Cooper walked side-by-side with Reggie and Mickey at the airport, the expecting mother wearing a warm lavender sweater, grey leggings and a white peacoat, passing through security as they prepared to leave for Vancouver, still amazed at what her best friend had given up to secure this trip.

"Yes I did," Mickey disputed "My mom wouldn't have let me go if I didn't."

"Bro, you just promised your mom you'd vote team Mary," Reggie reminded painfully "Do you have any idea how much easier you've made things for her?"

"Yeah, I do." Mickey had seen his mother in court before. And once he fulfilled his promise, Fred winning custody was next to impossible. "Look, nothing's set in stone yet. And even if my mom does win the case, I won't have to pack my bags until January. So let's just focus on getting to Van-,"

Mickey's words fell short as he bumped into one of the arriving passengers, causing her to drop her luggage.

"Sorry. Here, let me help you." Mickey bent down and helped the young woman gather her things, his eyes widening as he looked at her face: a fair-skinned girl with blonde hair and icy blue eyes, wearing a bright red peacoat over a black turtleneck and jeans, a matching headband set in her short platinum locks. Mickey recognized her instantly. The fortune-teller from Greendale. "Sabrina?"

She remembered him too. "I know you. You were at the Fall Festival, right? What was your name?"

"Mickey. Hi." the blue-eyed twin gave the girl from Greendale a mystified look as they rose to their feet "What are you doing here?"

"My class just got back from a trip to Washington D.C. You?"

"Birthday trip. My parents are letting take some friends to Vancouver."

"Ooh. A little romantic getaway with your girlfriend?" Sabrina teased.

Mickey winced. "We broke up. Guess your fortune was a little off," he confessed sadly "maybe we weren't meant to be together."

"Oh no. Madame Sabrina is never wrong when it comes to matters of the heart, darling," the Baxter High student assured him in an exaggerated Eastern European accent "Give me your hand."

"What?"

"Give me your hand," Sabrina repeated "I am not about to let my OTP go down in flames."

The blue-eyed twin sighed as he offered Sabrina his hand, the young fortune-teller tracing his fingers across the lines of his palms. _What the heck?_ He thought _I could use a good laugh._

"You and your girlfriend are still soulmates," Sabrina confirmed with a smile "You two are just going through a rough patch."

"I think 'rough' might be an understatement."

"Your family has been at war with itself," Sabrina went on "You've been trying to rebuild the peace. It's taken a toll on you."

Mickey blinked. How did she know about his parents?

"It's why you haven't been able to give your soulmate the attention she needs. She's been going through a crucible," Sabrina explained "and soon, she'll be reborn. Like a phoenix, rising from the ashes. Stronger than ever."

 _Well, at least there's that,_ Mickey thought. _Assuming this girl isn't totally nuts._

"Uh-oh."

"What is it?" Mickey asked, noticing the worried look on Sabrina's face.

"Remember that darkness I told you about? I can see it now. It comes in three forms," she warned "a band of rogues seeking refuge, a lord who seeks to conquer and a dragon."

"A dragon?" Mickey repeated. _Okay, now I know this girl is nuts._

"A green-eyed dragon," Sabrina confirmed "with black scales. He seeks destruction. Death. To those who deems immoral sinners. But he is the greatest sinner of all. He will come for your family first."

"My family? Why?"

"Because you are the only ones who can stop him," Sabrina insisted "You are Paladins, holy knights. Chosen by God to drive back the darkness. But it won't be easy."

"Sabrina."

The girl from Greendale jumped at the sound of a familiar voice, turning around to see two women glaring at her. Mickey recognized them instantly. The women from the pie stand at the fall festival. Sabrina's aunts. Hilda and Zilda. One of them, a tall, slender figure with long dark hair, gave her niece a stern glare. "Come along darling," she said with a thick Russian-like accent "Now."

One look at Sabrina's face, and Mickey could tell this was the strict aunt. The girl from Greendale withdrew within herself as she obeyed, giving Mickey one final glance over her shoulder, the look in her eyes filling her words with weight of a matter of life and death. "Good luck, Paladin. You're going to need it."

Mickey watched Sabrina silently as she walked out the airport with her family, glancing down at his palm as she disappeared from sight, wondering just what she had seen in the simple creases on his palm.

"Mickey."

The blue-eyed twin jumped at the sound of Reggie's voice, looking over his shoulder to see his best friends waiting impatiently. "We're going to miss our flight."

"Right. Right." Mickey shoved his hands in his pockets as he followed his friends to for the gate.

"Who was that girl?" Polly asked, noticing the shaken look on Mickey's face.

"Just some fortune teller from Greendale. Said I'd have to fight a dragon."

Reggie laughed. "What?"

"I know. Crazy, right?" Crazy. That had to be it. There was no way what Sabrina said could actually happen. And yet... she knew about Andrews family history in the military. That his parents were fighting. That Cheryl was hiding scars. But, come on. Rogues and knights and dragons? The whole thing sounded like one of Grandpa Artie's bedtime stories, not a vision of the future. So why did Mickey have a knot in his stomach?

* * *

"Got to say, that was quite a ride." Toni Topaz lay naked in bed with Sebastian the next morning, the Chicago-bred criminal softly tracing his finger over the Southside Serpent tattoo on her thigh.

"Told you I could take you on a wild ride," Sebastian whispered, placing a trail of kisses across her neck.

Toni smirked as she felt something poke against her thigh. "Looks like somebody's motor is still running."

"Only if the lady is willing."

"Oh, she's willing," Toni confirmed, rolling on top of Sebastian and pinning his arms down above his head "and she's driving."

Just before Toni could steal a kiss, the hormone-raged teenagers heard the sound of a pair of high heels clicking against the floor as they made their way towards the bedroom door. The pink-haired bartender quickly dove under the covers of the bed, while Sebastian made sure only his upper half was visible as Hermione Lodge walked in.

" _Buenos dias,_ Sebastian _._ Breakfast is ready."

" _Gracias, Tia._ I'll be there in a minute."

"Oh, and tell your friend she is more than willing to join us if she wants to."

Sebastian cringed at his aunt's last minute comment as she walked out and closed the door, prompting Toni to poke her head out from under the covers.

"And that's my que to go," she announced, her cheeks now bright red.

The two climbed out of bed and got dressed, the young man from the Windy City wearing only a black tank top and grey pajama pants as he walked his guest to the door.

Eventually Toni broke the silence. "So, your name's Sebastian?"

"It is. And I don't believe I ever got your name."

"Toni. Toni Topaz."

"Topaz. It's suits you," Sebastian commented "a rare gem for a rare beauty."

Toni felt her cheeks grow warm at the look in his eye. "It's too bad you have to go back to Chicago. We could've had some wild times together."

"I wouldn't count us out just yet. My father is thinking about moving our family up here."

"Well if that happens, you know where to find me," Toni reminded, in a husky voice "if you ever want to go for another ride."

Sebastian smirked as he watched Toni leave, the pink-haired Serpent giving him a wink as she walked out. Moving to Riverdale may not be as bad as he thought. Especially if more of the girls were like her. Sebastian sighed as he turned around to face his aunt at the breakfast table, her face an unreadable mix of teasing and scolding.

"Did you really think a mere hundred dollars would keep Smithers from informing you brought a guest over?" she asked.

"Kind of," the prince of Chicago crime gave Hermione a pleading expression as he sat down "Any chance we can keep this between us?"

"That depends. Did you seduce that Serpent to track down your uncle's bag?"

"No. I seduced her to celebrate tracking down my uncle's bag. I'm picking it up this afternoon. By dinner, this whole mess will be a thing of the past." Sebastian huffed as he reached for a glass of champagne, only for Hermione to pull it out of reach. "And here I thought you were the cool aunt."

"If I wasn't, I'd be calling your mother about your little friend. Once you have the bag, I was hoping you would do one last thing for me before you head back to Chicago" Hermione requested.

"Name it."

"Keep an eye on Veronica? She's been looking into the murder of one of her classmates. She believes her father may have ordered his death."

"Did he?"

"No," Hermione answered quickly "Jason Blossom was a child. Your uncle doesn't kill children. But this case has brought certain corners of our business to light. Veronica's faith in her family has been...wavering."

"I've noticed. The other day she asked if my father had anything to do with Mary Andrews' accident. Never thought I'd have to lie to family about the family business," Sebastian thought aloud "I'll keep an eye on her, _tia._ But I must admit, I have reservations about bring Veronica into the fold."

Hermione felt a tug at her heartstrings as her nephew's concerns echoed her own. "Give her time. She'll play her part," she stated, hoping to assure both Sebastian and herself "she knows that family comes first."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Sebastian agreed, taking a sip of his coffee before he asked "Where is Veronica anyway?"

* * *

"Do we really have to do this?"

Archie Andrews sat with his friends in a booth at Pop's, a series of pancakes, milkshakes and presents set across the table.

"Archie it's your birthday. We have to celebrate," Betty insisted.

"What we have to do is clear FP's name," he corrected "we're running out of time."

"If Mickey can spend the day in Vancouver, the least we can do is spare a few hours, Archiekins." Veronica beamed with excitement as she pushed a large leather case with a red bow towards the birthday boy across the table. "Open mine first."

The athletic musician felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips as he opened the box, his eyes widening as he pulled out a beautiful crimson red electric guitar.

The New York native grinned at the amazed look on his face. "After the Homecoming dance, I figured it was time you had a true instrument of rock and roll."

"Ronnie this is incredible," Archie gasped "Thank you."

"This one's from me," Jughead informed, handing his best friend a small present wrapped in old newspaper.

The varsity quarterback set the guitar aside as he opened Jughead's presents, revealing a familiar red and blue toy. "Is this-?"

"The old Superman action figure you lost at my trailer when we were six," Jughead confirmed with a smile "Sheriff Keller and his men must've dug it out of whatever black hole it go sucked into. Figured it was time I got it back to you."

"And it only took you ten years. Man, I looked everywhere for this thing." Archie felt a tug on his heartstrings as he ran his thumb across the action figure's chest, remembering all the weekends he spent playing on the living room floor with Jughead during their childhood, the smile on his face wavering slightly. "Thanks, Jug."

Betty grinned as she handed the birthday boy her gift: A medium-sized white gift box wrapped in a royal blue ribbon. "Happy Birthday, Arch."

The brown-eyed twin placed the action figure on top of the guitar case and opened the box, pulling out a dark blue leather book, a single sentence etched into the front cover in gold cursive letters: _Archie in Riverdale._

"It's a photo scrapbook," Betty told him "I thought you'd want something to remember us by, in case…,"

No one needed her to finish that sentence.

Archie stayed silent as he flipped through the pages, his entire life captured in a handful of pictures. The day his family moved to Riverdale. Mickey and Archie's first day of school with Betty and Polly. Betty teaching him how to read in the second grade. Sneaking into the Drive-In with Jughead. Camping trips with the Kellers. Football games with Reggie and the Bulldogs. Singing with Veronica at the Homecoming dance.

Archie's heart started to breaking. His throat swelled shut. His eyes stung with tears. The football player/songwriter took a shaky breath as he squeezed his eyes shut. A single tear slipping down his cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry guys," he said with a shaky breath "This is great. I love all my gifts. It's just...I knew that if I celebrated my birthday, I'd end up saying goodbye. And I don't want to."

"None of us want to Arch," Betty told him, the thought of him moving to Chicago truly crushing her soul.

Archie's anguish turned to anger as he looked down at the book once more, noticing a picture of the Andrews and the Coopers enjoying a Fourth of July barbeque, the ten-year old Andrews twins smiling at the camera as Mary wrapped her arms around them. "I hate my mother."

Veronica quickly became worried at the hardened tone in his voice. "You don't mean that."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't," Archie snapped "She walked out of my life for two years and now she comes back just so she can take me away from home?"

"Archie, I know that you're mad at your mom right now. But you should appreciate the fact that she actually wants you in your life," Jughead advised, remembering the pain he felt when his own mother refused to take him in "Trust me."

"I don't care. I don't need her. I need my dad. I need Mickey. I need you guys." The brown-eyed twin brought a hand to the gold pendant around his neck, his mind racing with rage, fear and pain. He tried to convince himself that Fred could easily win the case, but the more Mickey talked of Mary's prowess in court and the more Archie thought about everything he'd done since the summer…, "I know that I've messed up. I know I've made mistakes. And maybe I deserve to be punished for them. But this...it just isn't fair."

The aspiring songwriter took a shaky breath as Kevin Keller walked in, a wrapped present carried carried under his arm. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Happy birthday Archie," he said, handing his friend a box covered in blue wrapping paper. "Listen, Joaquin called on the way over here. He said he's willing to talk to us about FP."

"Good. That's good," Archie said with a sniffle "Tell him to meet us at my place."

"You guys go ahead," Veronica told them, playing with the pearls around her neck "There's something I have to do first."

* * *

Mickey and his friends landed in Vancouver early by mid-morning the next day, the three of them well-rested and slightly jet-lagged from a smooth flight. Mickey could see why so many of Cheryl's family lived in Canada. It was beautiful. Like Riverdale, only bigger. Maybe that was why he was wearing the sweater Cheryl gave him. So that, in a way, they could see the city together. The blue-eyed twin sat with Reggie and Polly in a seaside diner, wearing his leather jacket over his new sweater, along with dark jeans and boots, eating breakfast as they planned their next move.

"The Blossom Maple factory isn't too far from here. We should head there first."

"Or, we could go to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden," Reggie suggested, wearing a dark grey hoodie, a black insulated vest, black jeans and white high-top sneakers. "I want to check it for cultural accuracy."

"Reggie, we're not here to go sightseeing," Mckey reminded strictly "We're here to investigate."

"Who says we can't do both? Our parents gave us permission to party, so let's party."

"I would like to do some whale watching while we're here," Polly commented.

"But that isn't why we're here," Mickey repeated "Why are you guys acting like this?"

"Why are you acting like this? You're moving to Chicago," Reggie reminded painfully "This the last birthday we're going to spend together. The clock's ticking on Mickey, Polly and Reggie, and you don't seem to care!"

"Of course I care!" Mickey shouted "You guys are my best friends. I don't want to leave you. But I made a deal with my mom and there's nothing I can do to change that. So I want to make sure that didn't risk everything and stab my dad in the back for nothing. And for the record, this is not the end of us," he disputed in a trembling voice "I may not be graduating with you guys, but I am going to be there when you get your diplomas. I am going to be there when Polly's babies are born. I am going to be there when you get drafted to NFL. You guys are my best friends, my family. And nothing is ever going to change that."

"Everything is about to change!" Reggie protested "You're moving halfway across the country and we're never going to see each other again!"

"You don't know that'll happen!"

"You don't know that it won't!"

Stop it!" Polly shouted "Both of you. Mickey's right. He risked a lot to get us here and if we really care about each other, we'll find a way to stay in each other's lives. No matter where we live."

"Thank you."

"But Reggie has a point too. Things are changing. Mickey, you're leaving," Polly reminded painfully "And in a few months, I'm going to be up to my knees in dirty diapers. We don't have a lot of time left with being just the three of us. So we should make the most of the time we have left." To emphasize her point, the expecting mother reached under her seat and pulled out a small green gift bag, setting it on the table in front of Mickey. "Open it."

"Polly-,"

"Open it," she repeated, in a very Alice-like tone.

"Okay. Okay." The blue-eyed twin sighed as he reached into the bag, pulling out a dark blue baseball cap with the phrase: _Number 1 Godfather_ written on the front.

Mickey felt a lump form in his throat as he smiled. "Polly, this is great. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Reggie," Polly gave her friend a stern, motherly look "don't you have something for Mickey?"

The leader of the Bulldogs let out a grunt as he reached into his vest pocket, tossing Mickey a baseball covered in writing. "It's the ball from your no-hitter. I got the whole team to sign it."

Mickey felt a tug on his heartstrings as he inspected the look on Reggie's face, remembering how his best friend never got to say goodbye to his biological father. He sighed. "The Blossom factory isn't open to the public until noon. I guess we could do some sightseeing until then."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Reggie's face broke into a massive grin as he let out an excited shout "It's party time!"

The three childhood friends spent the next few hours exploring all the wonders Vancouver had to offer. They strolled through the Chinese garden. They spotted whales along the sea wall. Imagined what it felt like to fly while braving the Capilano suspension bridge. And whether this investigation produced fruit or not, Mickey knew that this was one birthday he would never forget.

* * *

From the moment she filed for full custody, Mary knew it was only a matter of time before one of Archie and Mickey's friends tried to talk her out of taking the boys to Chicago. Betty, Polly, Reggie, Jughead, Kevin, Moose, Midge. All expected and prepared for. But Veronica? Veronica Lodge wasn't even a consideration. And yet, here she was.

The New York native stood at the door to the auburn-haired mother's hotel room, anxiously playing with her nails as she spoke. "Mrs. Andrews? My name is Veronica Lodge. I sang with Archie at the Homecoming dance."

"I know who your are," Mary responded coldly, trying not to let her past with Veronica's parents affect how she treated the young woman in front of her. "Won't you come in?"

"Thank you. I won't take too much of your time," she promised as she walked into the room. "First of all, I wanted to apologize on behalf of my mother. What she did to you in high was...reprehensible. And I am truly sorry."

"Thank you." Mary gave the young woman a curious look "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"I don't think you should take Archie to Chicago," Veronica blurted out "Mickey might be able to handle it, but Archie won't. I just left my friends at Pop's. We were having a birthday party for Archie. And he said something...something that should've made the others more concerned."

"What did he say?"

"That he hated you," Veronica answered, causing a pained look to flash across Mary's face "I'm sure he didn't mean it, Mrs. Andrews. But it made me worried all the same. Your son was hurt when you left, Mrs. Andrews. Deeply," she emphasized "And I know you want him close to you, but if you make him move to Chicago, you may lose him forever."

"How long have you been in Riverdale, Veronica?" Mary asked.

"About three months."

"You think you know my sons better than me after only three months?"

"Absolutely not," The New York native answered quickly "But I know what's like to have an absent parent in your life. The pain that it leaves inside.

"Which is why I want my son with me in Chicago," Mary justified "So I can work to end that pain. Like I did with Mickey."

"I understand that. It's just...those necklaces the Andrews men wear. They're supposed to represent their warrior spirit?"

"That's right," Mary confirmed, not too sure where this was going.

"Do you believe that the animals are a proper representation on their anger?"

"To an extent," Mary confessed with a shrug "What's your point?"

"Horses are only dangerous when they are wild," Veronica explained "but once they're trained, they're calm and trustworthy animals. Bears are strong and mighty hunters, but they also feed on berries and sleep for a quarter of the year. But lions, lions are pure hunters. Apex predators. They kill to survive. Archie has the heart of a lion, Mrs. Andrews," Veronica assured her "He can barely control it. And if that lion learns to live off pain and hate, it will consume him. And no one wants that."

"Wait," Mary instructed causing the New York native to look over her shoulder as she headed for the door. "Why do you care so much about my son?" she asked, surprised by the New York native's genuine concern.

"Because he's my friend. Because he's been a guiding light during the darkest time of my life. Because he has one of the purest hearts I have ever met," Veronica confessed sincerely and truthfully "and I would hate to see that heart break just because someone who loved him tried to help him."

* * *

Joaquin's information was bittersweet. After speaking with Mary, Veronica met with Archie and the others at the Andrews house, where the blue-eyed Serpent told the all he knew about FP and the death of Jason Blossom.

It wasn't pretty. Joaquin had found FP standing over Jason's body in the back room of the White Wrym, and even helped him hide it. But there was hope. Another member of the Southside Serpents who knew about FP's connection to a mysterious connection to a mysterious man with deep pockets. The New York native headed off to with Archie, Kevin and Joaquin to the Southside of town. Joaquin said that this was where they could find Mustang, the Serpent who knew about FP's wealthy business partner, living out of a room in the City Centre Motel. The Serpent that Archie beat half to death.

"He's not going to like talking to you," Joaquin warned "He's been in a bad mood ever since you broke his nose."

"He's in for a lot worse if he doesn't tell us what we want to know," Archie promised, his face set in a fiery scowl.

"This is his room," Joaquin led the others to the entrance of a room on the third floor, knocking his knuckles against the door "Mustang. Mustang, open up."

 _Screw it,_ Archie thought. "Out of my way." The brown-eyed twin pushed his way past Joaquin and the others, knocking the motel door off its hinges with a mighty kick.

"Oh my God." Veronica's eyes widened in shock as saw Mustang lying half-conscious on the floor, a bag of white powder next to his left hand, a large amount of cash on the bed and familiar face leaning over him. "Sebastian?"

The Chicago stood crouched over the semi-conscious gang member as he applied CPR, wearing his peacoat over a grey v-neck sweater, dark jeans and black sneakers as he fought to keep the man alive with rapid chest compressions. "Anyone feel like calling 9-1-1?"

* * *

Sheriff Keller stood outside the motel with Archie, Veronica and Sebastian outside the motel, unaware that Betty, Jughead, Kevin and Joaquin had ran off before he arrived, seeking an answer to a single question as he waited for their parents to arrive. "What are you all doing here?"

"We just wanted to talk to the guy," Archie explained "see if he knew anything about why someone would want to frame FP."

"I appreciate you kids trying to help, but you have got to leave this to the professionals," Sheriff Keller insisted "Look, I don't want FP to be guilty anymore than you do. We served in Iraq together. Us and Fred, we used to call ourselves the Riverdale Rangers. Even got matching tattoos while we were overseas. And ever since we got back, I have done everything I can to keep FP from spending the rest of his life behind bars, but there is nothing anyone we can do for him now." The head lawman of Riverdale sighed as he turned his attention to Sebastian. "You were here before the others showed up. Care to explain why you were alone in a motel room with a Southside Serpent, a bag of cocaine and two thousand dollars in cash?"

"Business." The son of Chicago jerked a thumb at Mustang's vintage motorcycle sitting in front of the motel. "My old man used to ride back in day. Figured I'd give it to him as a birthday present. Make some father-son memories before I go to college. The guy told me to bring cash and when I gave it to him, he pulled out the coke and shot up. He started to O.D., I gave him C.P.R." After finishing his story, Sebastian handed Sheriff Keller a business card "the number to my family's lawyer. If you any questions for me or my cousin, call them."

At that moment, Hermione Lodge arrived, a stern look on her face. "Get in the car you two. Now."

"I'll take my bike, thanks." Sebastian silently walked his aunt and cousin to the car, only to stop when he spotted Archie getting into a truck with a dark-haired man with a beard. The man from security video. Colt 45. Sebastian's blood started boiling. His heart started pounding. And every bone is body cried out for death. The prince of Chicago crime marched over to the truck, his hands balled in tight fists as he resisted the urge to draw his gun and start shooting. "Fred Andrews," he called, causing the construction worker to turn around "You Fred Andrews?"

"Yes. And who are y-?"

POW!

Before he could even finish a sentence, Sebastian punched Fred in the jaw with a massive right hook, sending the construction worker flying onto the hood of his truck, sending Archie into a fit of rage.

"That's for threatening my father. And this," Sebastian hissed in a low, intense voice. "And this is for disrespecting my aunt."

"Hey!" Archie shoved Sebastian back as he attempted to hit Fred again, swinging wildly at the boy from Chicago, only for him to duck before punching Archie in the gut. The brown-eyed twin groaned as the wind was violently knocked out of him, his vision blurring as he keeled over.

"Sebastian!" Veronica ran over and put herself between the Andrews and her cousin, stopping him from kicking Archie in the ribs.

" _Sobrino,"_ Hermione gave her nephew an icy glare as she spoke in a stern voice "Get in the car. Now."

Sebastian's chest heaved as his knuckles turned white, glaring at the Andrews as they readied themselves for a fight. If this was Chicago, he could kill them without a moment's hesitation. But this was Riverdale. "You keep yours away from mine," Sebastian warned, jabbing a finger in Fred's face "or so help me God, I will tear every last one of you limb from limb."

* * *

"Are you out of your mind?" Veronica marched after Sebastian as walked into the Pembrooke, ready to claw his eyes out if not for their shared blood. "Why would you attack Fred like that?"

"Considering what his family has done to ours, I'd say I was pretty lineint," Sebastian scoffed.

"Lineint?"

"Veronica." Hermione spoke to her daughter in a firm tone. "Go to your room. I need to speak with your cousin, alone."

One look at his aunt's face, and Sebastian knew his was in trouble. But he didn't care. "Fred Andrews threatened my father," he reminded as soon as Veronica left the room "He's lucky I didn't put a bullet in his head."

 _Angela's right,_ Hermione thought _He is eager to make his bones._ "I understand your anger, Sebastian," she told him softly "But Fred Andrews is not a threat to us."

"His wife is the one trying to tear apart everything our family has built!" Sebastian hissed "He is a decorated Army Ranger, which means he's a trained killer. His war buddies are the sheriff and the leader of a biker gang. He's got a grudge against my uncle, your husband," he reminded sharply "a mile long. And you expect me to believe he isn't a threat just because you're screwing him?"

 _SMACK!_

Sebastian winced as Hermione slapped him clean across the face, jabbing a warning finger an inch away from his nose.

"I love your uncle," she insisted in a murderous tone "I would never sleep with another man."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset or disrespect you," Sebastian apologized rubbing his now sore jaw "What I said was said out of love and concern. You may not have slept with Fred Andrews _tia,_ " he acknowledged "But you did kiss him. If uncle Hiram finds out-,"

"Hiram already found out," Hermione interrupted "Veronica told him." Even when she had doubts, she was still daddy's little girl. "How did you know?"

"Did you really think that my father would leave you unprotected? _Padre_ has had people watching you for months," Sebastian revealed "why did you do it, _tia?_ You know what men like Hiram do to unfaithful wives."

"I am _not_ unfaithful," Hermione disputed sharply "Fred kissed _me._ Not the other way around."

"You gave him the SoDale project. You reached out him the second you came back to town. Why?"

"Survival. Fred Andrews is a modern day knight," Hermione explained "ready and willing to aid any damsel in distress he comes across. And like you said, he's a trained killer. With friends on both sides of the law."

"You thought if you got close to Fred, he would protect you if anyone came after you."

"With Mary in Chicago, I knew that adding some heat to the old embers of our high school romance would be the best way to win Fred's favor. So, I flirted. I seduced. I wrapped him tight around my little finger. Too tightly. Despite all his morals, Fred Andrews is still a man. One who has not known a woman's touch in two years. But I couldn't afford for him to think that I didn't want him. So when he kissed me, I kissed him back," Hermione confessed shamefully "and the next day, I insisted that we take things slow."

"Did you tell Hiram?" Sebastian asked.

Hermione shook her head. "He won't speak to me. Not since Veronica told him about the kiss."

"Which means he's either licking his wounds or planning your death."

Hermione scoffed. "Hiram would never try to kill me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he know what I am capable of. I helped your uncle build his empire brick by brick. I made my bones long before Hiram or Vincero did," she revealed "when I was your age. If Hiram ever attacked me, he would be in for the fight of his life."

"I believe you," Sebastian told her, trying to ignore the faint chill running down his spine "But you need to get Hiram to believe you. Before he starts a war that will leave Veronica without parents."

"He won't talk to me."

"I'll get you in contact with him," Sebastian promised "You just make sure that he hates Fred and not you. Tell him he pressured you. Tell him he forced you. Tell him he tied you up and drugged you. I don't care what you tell him," he insisted "Just make sure he believes that you did not want that kiss."

Hermione nodded, the fear in her nephew's voice making her uneasy. Even if Hiram didn't try to have her killed for kissing Fred, there was still the chance that her would leave her if got out. And for Hermione, that was a fate worse than death. But the time would come for that later. "We still need to get the bag."

"No we don't."

Hermione's eyes widened as Sebastian pulled a brown leather bag out of his coat, the initials _H.L._ etched onto the front.

"I bought it off of Mustang before Veronica and her friends showed up. Slipped it in my coat before they kicked the door down. And don't worry about the Serpent either," he told her "He won't be talking anytime soon."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. That cocaine I gave him was ten times more pure than anything in this hick town. He'll be lucky to spend the rest of life as a vegetable, if he isn't dead as soon as he reaches the hospital. Like I said, I get results," Sebastian repeated "Just ask John Muggs."

"John Muggs?"

"I snuck into his house and offered him twenty grand to withdraw his testimony against _tio_ Hiram," Sebastian revealed "When he said no, I shoved half his medicine cabinet down his throat and left a suicide note in his hand. Should've made my bones that day. He only survived because his wife came back for her purse-,"

The Chicago-born soccer player's words were cut short when Hermione threw her arms around her nephew neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

" _Gracias sobrino,"_ she whispered gratefully _"Gracias."_

" _De nada tia."_ He'd forgotten that she was the one that gave the bag to the Southside Serpents. If it had been discovered, Veronica would've had two parents in prison. "Now, about my cousin's doubts. I have a plan. But I'm going to need something from you first. My mother mentioned you were getting some upsetting letters?"

"No. No," Hermione repeated strongly "She's not ready for that."

"Veronica doubts her father's innocence because the people of Riverdale had made him out to be the enemy. If we want to change that, then we have make her believe that Riverdale is the enemy."

* * *

"I am so sorry." Veronica Lodge stood in the kitchen in the Andrews house, watching Fred and Archie nurse their wounds from their run-in with her cousin. "I had no idea Sebastian would do something like that."

"It's alright, Veronica." Fred groaned as he rubbed his sore jaw "Your cousin's got a mean right hook. Just like his old man," he commented as there was a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it." Veronica walked through the kitchen and into the living room, where she found her cousin standing on the front porch, holding a green glass bottle in his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize." Sebastian casually walked inside and followed Veronica into kitchen, where Fred and Archie instantly straightened up at the sight of him.

"I know you two must have mixed feelings about me being here," he acknowledged "so let me just start by saying, I'm sorry." Sebastian took a breath as he resisted the urge to vomit "My actions at the motel were reprehensible. You see, I was raised to hold a woman's reputation in high regard. The women in my family most of all. When I learned about your past with my aunt I became...overprotective. As for Archie, he was only protecting his father. I respect that. So, as an olive branch,"

Fred raised an eyebrow as Sebastian hefted a brand new bottle of scotch and set it on the table.

"Purchased by my aunt, of course. And for Archie," Sebastian reached into his coat pocket and handed the high school quarterback an ornate birthday card, a crisp fifty dollar bill poking out the top. "I hope that we can put this whole mess behind us."

Archie glanced at Veronica's pleading face and sighed. "We're good, Sebastian. Dad?"

Fred stayed silent as he rolled the bottle back and forth in his hands. "I suppose if my aunt had an affair, I wouldn't be too polite to her boyfriend either. I have a meeting with our lawyer," he announced abruptly "I'll be back late." And he walked out.

"My parents are getting a divorce," Archie explained at the look on Sebastian's face "It's been rough, on all of us."

"Sorry to hear that. So," Sebastian huffed as he hopped up on the edge of the kitchen table "What do you guys do for fun around here? Besides drive-in movies and milkshake binges, I mean. Whatever the birthday boy wants to do to celebrate, it's on me," he offered.

"Thanks, man. But we really need to figure out who framed FP."

"The gangbanger the sheriff mentioned. So, you guys play Scooby Doo for fun," Sebastian said with a chuckle "cute. Mind if I help out? Fresh set of eyes and all that?"

"Sure," Archie said with a shrug "We need all the help we can get."

"Great." _I love it when opportunity knocks,_ Sebastian thought "Show me what you got."

* * *

"The Blossom Family Maple corporation was founded in 1945 by French-Canadian born Clarence Blossom."

Mickey walked side-by-side with Polly and Reggie as they took a tour of the Blossom's maple syrup factory on the edge of the city, surrounded by at least a dozen unsuspecting tourists.

"Although the company is now a major agricultural corporation, Blossom Maple remains at its core, a family business," said the tour guide, a short, bubbly red-headed woman in a red skirt suit. "with the controlling stock of the company fairly divided between all Blossom descendants."

"This is getting us nowhere," Reggie whispered "We could've gotten all this off the Blossom's website."

"I know." Mickey glanced through the floor-to-ceiling window on his side, looking down at the factory workers filling, sealing and shipping massive barrels of maple syrup on a series of trucks. "We need to get down there."

"How?" Polly asked.

Mickey stayed silent as he attempted to come up with a plan, the final pieces coming together when he spotted the door to a fire escape out of the corner of his eye. "That's how."

The three teenagers silently slipped away from the crowd, tentatively tiptoeing down the stairs to the work floor.

"Really hope this doesn't land us in a Canadian prison," Mickey thought aloud.

"Dude, it's Canada," Reggie reminded with a scoff "What are they going to do, give us a lecture?"

"Shh," Polly hissed as they reached the bottom of the steps and opened the door to the factory floor, the air buzzing with the sound of conveyor belts and hydraulic machines.

 _At least being heard won't be a problem,_ Mickey thought. The blue-eyed twin crouched down as he lead Polly and Reggie across the factory floor, ducking behind one of the massive copper tanks full of unfinished maple syrup.

"So what are we supposed to be looking for?" Reggie asked, trying not to be too loud as he fought to be heard over all the machines.

"Anything that's not supposed to be hear," Mickey answered "Like that." The blue-eyed twin drew his friends' attention to the far corner of the room, where a man in a security guard's uniform walked up from an unseen floor, sipping on a cup of coffee. "Factory building codes strictly forbid any floors below ground level. "If the Blossoms are hiding anything, it's down there. Come on."

The children of Riverdale quietly made their way across the factory floor, pushing open the door and making their way to the mystery floor.

"Whoa." Mickey's eyes widened as he stood in the middle of the stairs with his friends, looking down to see a room full of women stripped down to their underwear, filling plastic bags with a strange white powder, wrapping them tightly with bright red strings and storing them into the unsealed barrels of maple syrup. Mickey had seen drugs packed like that before. On Jason Blossom's beside table. And judging by the look on Polly's face, she recognized them too.

"Dude." Reggie drew his friends' attention to the far corner of the room, where the women were packing bundles of multi-colored straws into plastic bags and storing them into the maple syrup barrels. Jingle-Jangle. Riverdale's favorite party drug.

"This is why Jason Blossom wanted to run," Mickey whispered. The blue-eyed twin quickly took out his phone and started taking pictures, making the Blossom branded barrels were clearly in-frame. He should've made sure the flash was off.

"Hey!"

Mickey's face turned stark white as a Blossom maple security guard spotted them from the other side of the room, his hand instantly finding its way to the gun on his hip.

"Run!" Mickey shouted.

The three teenagers bolted back up the stairs as fast as they could, the expecting mother letting out a shriek as a bullet flew past her head as they ran out the loading bay.

"Still think the Canadians are pushovers, Reggie?" Mickey asked.

"Shut up and run!"

* * *

"And that's all we know." Veronica stood with Archie and Sebastian in the Andrews family garage, the residents of Riverdale sharing all they had learned while investigating the death of Jason Blossom. "So far, the only plausible suspects left are Mr. & Mrs. Blossom and-,"

"Uncle Hiram." Sebastian finished. "Let me guess: An Andrews added him to suspect list."

Archie raised an eyebrow at the tone in Sebastian's voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you people are trying to railroad my uncle," Sebastian accused "and you're using his own daughter to do it."

"I've never even met Hiram Lodge. Why would I want to tie him to Jason Blossom's death?" Archie questioned.

"So your dad can steal my aunt away from him? So your mother can add murder to the trumped up charges against him? I don't know and I don't care. Veronica, this is ridiculous," Sebastian insisted, looking his cousin in the eye "do you really think that your father could do something like this? That he could kill a teenager the same age as his daughter and nephew? The same man who gave five million dollars of his own money to hurricane relief in Central America? Who built a hispanic youth center in his old neighborhood in New York so that the kids there would have a safe place to play? Who paid for his wife's entire family to vacation to Mexico for _abuelo_ Santiago's funeral? Does that sound like a criminal mastermind to you? Where would he even find the time?" he asked "On his way to your plays and recitals? While he was whisking your mother away on romantic weekends?"

With every good deed and happy memory Sebastian listed off, Veronica became more and more at war with herself, trying make sense of her conflicting feelings for Hiram.

"You're too trusting, _prima._ Whatever your so-called friends are up to, it's not an investigation," Sebastian said with a scoff "it's racial profiling."

"Racial-?" Archie nearly punched Veronica's cousin right in the jaw. "Are you out of your mind!?"

"FP Jones is a white, booze-soaked gang-banger. Who confessed to killing Jason Blossom and was found in his house with the murder weapon. But you all say he's innocent. And who's at the top of your list of suspects?" Sebastian asked "Hiram Lodge, the hispanic son of immigrants who hasn't set foot in Riverdale in at least ten years."

"This is crazy!" Archie protested "no one's trying ruin Hiram just because he's hispanic."

"Then how do you explain these?"

Archie watched Sebastian curiously as he pulled out a massive stack of letters, bundled together by a series of rubber bands. "What are those?"

"Hate mail. Death threats. My aunt Hermione's been getting them since they day she came back to Riverdale," Sebastian revealed in a disgusted tone "she asked me to get rid of them for her. But since you and your friends are determined to corrupt my cousin's love for her father, I think it's time Veronica learned what Riverdale really thinks about the Lodges."

Veronica's heart started to crumble as she looked through the letters, recognizing the names of the parents of many of her friends: Midge Klump's mother, Ethel Muggs' father. But it was the one from Hal Cooper that nearly crushed her soul.

The New York native's hands shook as the pulled the letter out of the envelope, wanting to know what her best friend's father truly thought of her family. She barely got halfway through before she started crying. The raven-haired princess took in a sharp breath as she brought a hand to her mouth, trying to keep cut off the sob that nearly escaped her lips.

"Guys." At that moment, the young blonde reporter came bursting in the garage door, the urgent look on her face turning to concern as she saw the tears in her best friend's eyes. "V, what's wrong?"

"Did you know about this?" Veronica asked with soul-crushed eyes "Did you know that your father sent this to my mother?"

Betty frowned as she took the letter in her best friend's hand, recognizing the handwriting as he father's. But the words...dear God, they made her sick to her stomach. "V, I swear, I didn't know anything about this." The girl next door felt her heart break as Veronica backed away when she tried to take her hand. "V."

"Veronica, I'm not going to pretend that this doesn't happen," Archie acknowledged in a soft, gentle voice "When mayor McCoy ran for office, the town got really ugly. But whatever's in these letters, it's not how everyone thinks. It's not how we think," he said, glancing over at Betty "You know that."

"We're your friends V," Betty reminded softly. "We care about you."

Sebastian poked his tongue against his cheek as he watched Veronica's friends pull her into a group hug, holding her close as she cried. Shaking his cousin's faith in her friends was going to be harder than he thought.

At that moment, Jughead and Kevin came charging into the garage covered in dirt, causing Veronica and her friends to pull away from each other.

"What is that?" she asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes, when she noticed the dufflebag Jughead's hands.

"My dad's contingency plan," he answered, setting the bag down on one of Archie's music amps. "According to Joaquin, whatever's in this bag should clear my dad's name."

Sebastian could literally see the coin of fate flipping in the air. If it landed heads, that bag would contain key evidence regarding the murder of Jason Blossom. If it landed tails, then the bag would contain evidence of his uncle's plans, condemning him to a life in prison. The young Chicago gangster nearly drew his gun as Jughead opened the bag, revealing a bright blue and yellow varsity jacket.

"Why would FP keep Jason Blossom's varsity jacket?" Archie thought aloud "It doesn't make anything sense."

"He's a drunk," Sebastian reminded "He probably stashed this so-called 'contingency' when he was on a bender."

"Why is he here?" Jughead asked sharply.

"He's here to help," Veronica answered.

"And to make sure you guys don't railroad my uncle to get your drunk dad out of jail," Sebastian added

"Call my father a drunk one more time," Jughead warned lunging at Veronica's cousin while Betty held him back.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to shake in my boots because you're from the Southside?" Sebastian asked in an unimpressed tone "Newsflash trailer trash: you wouldn't last five minutes on my southside. Look, all this jacket proves is that your old man shot this Jason guy. Case. Closed."

"You're wrong. We checked FP's trailer before the cops got there," Archie reminded "and we didn't find any gun anywhere."

"He's a career criminal. You ever stop to think that maybe he just hid the gun somewhere you guys wouldn't find it? Somewhere his kids wouldn't get to it and blast their brains out? There is nothing, not one single piece of evidence," Sebastian emphasized sharply "that says FP didn't kill Jason Blossom."

"We also don't have any evidence that says Daddy didn't pay FP to do it," Veronica shot back "Sebastian, Jason's father was the one who got my father arrested."

"And you think Hiram would retaliate by killing his son?"

"I don't know what to think. Which is why we need to find out the truth!"

"Everybody, quiet!" Betty shouted "I need to think." The entire room fell silent as the blonde reporter carefully studied the jacket, the wheels in her head turning rapidly as she handed it to Archie. "Put it on."

"What?"

"Put it on," Betty repeated, forcing the jacket over his shoulders.

"Betty, this is weird," Archie insisted, as his best friend started patting him down.

"This is ridiculous," Sebastian scoffed "You guys are grasping at straws. Give it up."

"Sebastian, if you're not going to help, you can leave," Veronica permitted coldly.

" _They're using you, cousin,_ " he whispered in spanish _"Can't you see that? Manipulating your fears and doubts to condemn your father."_

" _You're wrong. They're my friends."_

" _Like the friends you had back in New York?"_ he asked, reminding Veronica of how the city of her birth turned its back on her when Hiram was arrested _"Friends come and go, Veronica. But family, family is forever."_

"Guys." All eyes turned to Betty Cooper as she spoke, holding up a grey USB drive that she found in the lining of Jason's jacket.

Kevin was amazed. "Nancy Drew strikes again."

The teenagers gathered around the couch as Betty plugged in the flash drive to Archie's computer, pulling up the single file on the device: a minute long video clip.

Jason Blossom sat tied to a chair in the back of the White Wrym, struggling to break free of the ropes around his wrists and ankles as his father walked in. Clifford Blossom pulled out a gun from his jacket pocket, pointed it at his son's head and…

 _BANG!_

Betty gasped. Kevin and Jughead jumped. Veronica buried her face in her cousin's chest as she shrieked. Archie invoked the name of God. Sebastian didn't even flinch. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Clifford Blossom," Archie answered in a tone of disbelief "Jason's father."

"Cheryl." Betty whipped out her phone as fast as she could, rapidly dialing her cousin's number as she spoke in an urgent voice. "You have to get out of that house. Listen to me-,"

" _Betty?"_

"Josie?" the blonde-haired girl's face shifted into a shocked and confused expression. "Where's Cheryl?"

* * *

"She's been at my house all day. She and Penelope, they had a fight. After they she found out Polly was gone." The mayor's daughter stood in her bedroom as her best friend lay fast asleep, her stomach twisted in knots as she studied the massive bruises around Chery's left eye and neck. "It was...bad."

" _Whatever you do, don't let her go home."_ Betty demanded _"Not until Sheriff Keller gets there."_

"The sheriff? Betty, what's going on?" Josie's heart stopped as Betty told her what she had learned. "Oh my God."

"Josie?"

As that moment, Cheryl softly rose from her sleep, noticing the shaken look on her best friend's face. "What is it?"

"FP didn't kill your brother."

* * *

"Cheryl's at Josie's. She's safe."

"Good. That's good." Archie answered, tugging at the gold pendant around his neck with shaking hands. The brown-eyed twin felt his gaze drift back to his computer, the screen locked on the image of Clifford Blossom firing the gun at Jason Blossom's head. "How could he do it? How could he do that to his own son?"

"Maybe if you kids had spent less time you spent investigating my uncle and more time investigating Jason's family, you'd know," Sebastian commented, casually texting on his phone.

Veronica was astounded. "We just watched a murder. How can you be so calm?"

"Because when I was eight, my mother and I watched three kids and two parents get blown away in a drive-by shooting on the way to school," Sebastian revealed, not even looking up from his phone "Like I said, you guys wouldn't last five minutes on my southside."

Before anyone could even attempt to respond, the Archie's phone went off, pulling the brown-eyed twin of out his daze as he answered the call. "Hello?"

" _Clifford Blossom's a drug lord_ _!_ _"_

"Mickey? Guys," Archie quickly gestured for his friends to gather around as he activated the speakerphone on his cell. "Mick, you're on speaker. What do you mean Clifford's a drug lord?"

* * *

"He's been using his company to smuggle drugs into the U.S." Mickey Andrews stood in an empty alleyway with Reggie and Polly, the three having barely made out of the Blossom maple factory with their lives. "Heroine, cocaine, meth, jingle-jangle, you name it. That's why Jason didn't want anything to do with the family business. His cousin Terry didn't just die of an overdose. He died using his own family's product. "

" _My God,"_ Archie gasped in a dreadful voice _"That's why he did it."_

"Did what? Archie, what happened?" Mickey's face turned as pale as a ghost at his brother's response.

"Mickey?" Polly frowned at the look on his best friend's face "What's wrong?"

Before he could even begin to answer, a jet black limo came driving into the alley, stopping right in front of Mickey and his friends. The blue-eyed twin's blood turned into ice as the back door opened up, revealing a red-haired woman holding a gun. "Get in, now."

* * *

"Hello Mickey, Polly. It's been a while."

"You guys know this chic?" Reggie asked. The three kids sat in the back of the limo with the mysterious woman kept her gun pointed at them, their minds filled with dread for whatever dark destination they were headed towards.

"At the Blossom maple ceremony," Mickey answered, trying to ignore the urge to make a play for the gun and shove it down the woman's throat. "Cricket Blossom, right?"

"I'm touched you remember me," Cricket said in a false grateful tone.

"Jason didn't just want to get away from the family business, did he?" Polly asked as her heart attempted to beat its way out of her chest.

"No, he didn't. He wanted to go the authorities," Cricket revealed "called it justice for son."

"You're cousin Terry's mother." Mickey's fear quickly turned to disgust "How can you be a part of this after what happened to him?"

"My son was in pain! I did what I could to ease his suffering," Cricket justified in a wavering voice "like any mother would."

"You're not a mother. You're a psychopath."

Polly and Reggie jumped as Cricket Blossom slapped Mickey in the head with the back of her gun, drawing blood the hilt collided with his temple.

Mickey groaned as his ears started ringing, glaring at Cricket as he started to see red. If this woman knew him at all, she'd know better than to make him mad. "This is why you had Hiram Lodge arrested, isn't it? Him and his mexican cartel connections have the world thinking the war on drugs is taking place at the southern border. While you guys ship as much northern crack as you can make under the radar."

"The Casettas had been bleeding us dry for decades. When Vito died, we were certain that their interference was over. Until Hiram Lodge made his mark in New York."

"Is that why you've been paying Hiram's family for so long?" Mickey asked "Tribute?"

Cricket chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

At that moment, the car came to a stop, allowing the red-haired woman step out in front of a large corporate building, a large man in a security uniform waiting for him at the curb, a large gun strapped to his hip.

"Dispose of the boys," she ordered "then take the girl to one of our medical facilities. Her babies may be useful in securing control of the company from Clifford."

"Yes, Mrs. Blossom."

 _No,_ Polly thought _No one is taking my babies._ The single mother slammed her foot into Cricket Blossom's stomach, causing her to keel over and drop the gun in her hand.

"Nice shot, P!" Reggie grinned as he and Mickey bolted from the limo, knocking the guard to the ground with a thud, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Mickey scrambled across the ground as he dove for Cricket Blossom's gun, grabbing it mere moments before she could. The blue-eyed twin jumped to his feet and jabbed the gun in Cricket's face. "Don't move."

"You really have no idea where you are, do you?"

Mickey's eyes widened as finally looked at the corporate building in front of him, his stomach sinking to his knees as he spotted the words _Blossom Family Maple_ hanging over the door.

"Bro!" Reggie quickly drew his best friend's attention to the front door of the building, where half a dozen men in security guards with came running towards them. "I think this is the part where we run!"

Mickey raced after his friends as they took off down the block, stopping only for a second to whip around shoot out the back tires of the limousine. The blue-eyed twin tossed the gun into a sewer drain and ran after as fast as he could, following Reggie and Polly as they hurried into a back alley, coming to a stop as he came across a high chain link fence. Polly groaned as she struggled to follow Reggie over the fence, her swollen belly making it practically impossible. "Come on, kids. Mommy needs to get over the fence."

"I got you." Mickey propped Polly's legs on his shoulders and lifted her as high as he could, allowing her to climb over the top as Reggie helped her down on the other side.

"Thanks." Polly's eyes widened as she spotted the guards at the other end of the alley. "Mickey, hurry!"

The blue-eyed twin climbed the fence as fast as he could, a bullet whizzing past his head as the guards open fire. "Move!" Mickey shouted.

The children of Riverdale ran as fast as they could down the alley, finding themselves in a gated off section of the city, covered with expensive looking trailers.

"Let's hide in here," Reggie gasped, leading in his friends into the nearest one and locking the door behind him. The threes friends keeled over as they gasped for breath, their lungs burning and hearts racing from fear and fatigue.

"Excuse me."

The three tired teenagers looked up from the floor as they acknowledged the owners of the trailer: two men and a woman, each wearing an iconic, brightly-colored costume, with game controllers in their hands. Stephen Amell, Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist. Supergirl, The Flash and Green Arrow.

"What are you kids doing in my trailer?" Stephen asked.

"Oh. My. God." Mickey was in awe. He and his friends had been watching these guys on TV for years. "Mr. Amell, sir, we are all huge fans. Of all of your shows." he said, shaking the actor's hand.

"Are we supposed to be doing a meet-and-greet today?" Grant asked Stephen softly "because my agent didn't say anything about meet-and-greet."

"I have no idea."

Wow," Mickey's eyes widened at the sight of Supergirl in the flesh. "You are even prettier in person."

"Oh, thank you. You're pretty cute yourself," she said causing Mickey to blush.

"Ask her for a birthday kiss," Reggie whispered.

Mickey elbowed his best friend in the ribs. "I am not going to ask for a birthday kiss."

"Guys? I don't feel so good."

All eyes turned to Polly Cooper as she sank to the floor, gripping her swollen stomach as she gasped for breath.

Mickey's stomach sank to his knees. "Oh boy."

"Please tell me you're not having the babies now," Reggie begged.

"I...I don't know," Polly gasped.

"What do you mean you don't know? Either the babies are coming or they're not!"

"Everyone, calm down. Calm down," Stephen repeated, kneeling down in front of the expecting mother as he gave her charasmatic smile. "Hi."

If Polly wasn't potentially going into labor, she'd swoon. "Hi."

"Are you having contractions?" Stephen asked.

"Uh, I don't think so. But my heart is racing," Polly informed "and my babies are kicking like crazy."

"Sounds like they're just stretching their legs," Stephen joked, handing her a bottle of water "You should be fine."

"Okay, now that it's been confirmed that the pregnant girl is not about to to go into labor, can we please get answers as to how three kids snuck their way onto the set of our big crossover event?" Grant asked "This is why I told Gregg Berlanti we need better security."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Real considerate, G.G."

"Hey, I like my fans. I love my fans," the actor insisted honestly "I always make time for my fans. But this is me time. Time I desperately need between takes to recharge and give my fans the level of cinematic magic that they deserve."

"Ignore him," Melissa advised "He's been in a mood ever since he found out he wasn't going to be the lead in _The Flash_ movie."

"I was robbed!" Grant exclaimed causing Stephen and Melissa groan "Me and my cast have busted our butts for four years and when they finally greenlight-," the actor cut himself off as he took a deep breath "Look, I just want this crossover to perfect, okay?"

"You guys are filming the crossover?" Reggie's eyes widened excitedly as he asked "Is Caity Lotz here?"

"She's in the hot tub. And right now I'm starting to wish I went with her," Grant grumbled.

"In the-," Reggie got so excited, he nearly bit his tongue off. "Bye."

"Where are you going?" Mickey asked, as his best friend made rush for the door.

"To go hot tubbing with Caity Lotz." The varsity football captain stopped dead in his tracks as he looked out the door window, ducking down low as his face turned pale. "Nevermind. Staying here."

"What is it?"

"Bad guys. Real bad guys," Reggie answered "coming this way."

"What are you talking about?" Stephen asked skeptically, walking over to the window. The blonde actor's eyes widened as he watched two Blossom Maple security guards walked up to a guard from the set, firing a trio of bullets into his chest.

The entire trailer jumped and yelped at the sound of the gunfire ringing in the air, causing the two guards to take notice and march towards them.

"Kids, hide!" Stephen whispered, causing Mickey and his friends to hide behind the couch while Grant and Melissa pressed their backs against the walls on either sides of the door. The guards kicked the door in and pointed their guns directly at Stephen, forcing him to back up towards the couch, where his bow was propped up against the side.

"Hey guys," Stephen greeted with a smile "come for an autograph?"

"We're looking for three kids," one of the guards answered "two boys and pregnant girl."

"Kids? Sorry, haven't seen them. Hey," Stephen gave the guards a charismatic smile "want to see some hollywood magic?" At that moment, Stephen hooked his bow with his foot and kicked it into his hand, swinging it in a wide as he hit both the guards clean across the face.

Melissa grabbed one of the guards from behind and put him into a tight chokehold, cutting off his oxygen as Grant punched him clean across the face, knocking him out cold.

Stephen slammed his bow into the other's guard's chest as attempt to aim and fire his gun, knocking the wind out of him before slamming his jaw, knocking him to the floor before kicking him in the face with his steel-toed boot.

"Dude!" Reggie shot up from behind the couch as the TV heroes finished off the guards, having recorded the entire fight on his phone. "That was so sick!"

"Threatening a pregnant girl," Melissa glanced down at the guards with a disgusted scoff "Not cool."

"Ow!" Grant groaned as he gripped the hand he used to knock out the guard "I think I broke my hand."

"And that's why I do my own stunts." Stephen stated proudly "What kind of trouble are you kids, anyway?

"It's a long story," Mickey answered.

* * *

Archie and Betty sat alone in the Andrews' garage, anxiously waiting for one of their phones to ring both emotionally drained from the day. After Mickey called, Jughead and Kevin headed straight to the sheriff's office, while Veronica took Sebastian back to the Pembroke to pack for his flight home.

The brown-eyed twin jumped as his phone buzzed, picking up to inspect the newly received text.

"It's from Mickey. They made it to the U.S. consulate. Once they tell them everything they found out about the Blossoms, they'll be on the next flight home."

"Thank God," Betty sighed, running a pair of weary hands over her face "Can I stay here for a while? I don't feel like going home just yet."

"Sure. You hungry?"

"Starving."

"I think we've got some pizza in the freezer."

The childhood friends walked side-by-side into the house through the back door, the aspiring songwriter pulling the pizza out of the freezer and popping into the oven while Betty made herself comfortable in the living room.

Archie felt a smile tug at his lips as he found Betty snuggled up on the couch, a grey throw blanket draped over her shoulders, watching the original _Toy Story_ movie.

"After getting us through some of our worst days as kids, I thought this might help today feel a little less awful," she explained, not even needing to look away from the TV to sense Archie's presence.

"No argument here. The pizza won't be ready for a while. I could make us some popcorn to snack on until then."

Betty nodded, prompting Archie to walk back into the kitchen and toss a bag of popcorn into the microwave, pouring the contents into a large bowl once it was done and bringing to Betty on the couch.

For a while, the two childhood friends sat in silence, eating popcorn as they watched the movie, hoping to recapture the comforting feeling of hope it gave them when they were kids.

About halfway through the film, Archie spoke. "I have something for you."

The brown-eyed twin reached over the back of the couch and into his backpack, pulling out an old and battered hardcover book. _The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe._ The book that Betty used to teach Archie how to read in the second grade.

"Why are you giving this to me?" she asked.

"I wanted you to have something to remember me by. In case," Archie felt his throat start to clench up "in case I have to leave. Betty, you've been apart of it since the very beginning. I literally can't remember anything before the day I met you. And whenever it felt like life was tackling me into the ground, you were the one who picked me back up and got me back in the game. My own personal guardian angel," he said with the briefest of smiles "And I honestly have no idea what I'd do without you."

At beautiful as his words were to Betty, knowing the reason behind them made them bittersweet. "I thought you didn't want to say goodbye."

"I don't," Archie told her, lowering his head as he fought to keep his voice level "but I have to. Because you deserve to know how important you are to me. How much I-,"

"Stop." Betty grabbed Archie's face with both hands as she forced him to meet her gaze, doing her best not to cry as tears welled in his eyes "This won't be the end of us, Archie. If your mom takes you away to Chicago, I'll come visit," she promised "we all will. As much as we can. And we'll watch the Bears play at Soldier field. Go to the auto show. Look over the city from the top of the Sears Tower. We'll mail each other birthday and Christmas presents and open them over video chat. And during the summer, you can come back here. And we'll watch the Fourth of July fireworks at Sweetwater River and go to pool parties at Reggie's, just like we always have."

"It won't be the same."

"I know." Betty felt her bottom lip start to quiver as she wiped a tear from Archie's eye, his gentle brown orbs filled with more fear than she had ever known them to hold "I know. But if we can solve Jason Blossom's murder, we can figure out how to stay in each other's lives from different states. We promised to always be there for each other," she reminded "no matter what. I'm not giving up on us so don't you give up either." The blonde reporter took in a shaky breath as she pulled her best friend into a much-needed hug, holding him tight as she let the let the fearful tears trickle down her cheeks. "Everything's going to be okay, Arch. I promise."

* * *

Mary Andrews nervously sat alone in a booth Pop's, anxiously waiting for Fred as he walked in, wearing a green and black shirt jacket over a black v-neck sweater, dark jeans and boots. The small town business owner stayed silent as he slid into the booth next to his estranged wife, his face as stoic as a statue as they sat on opposite sides of the table.

"Thank you for coming to see me. I wasn't sure you'd come."

"That makes two of us. What is this about, Mary?" Fred asked bluntly.

"This." The auburn-haired mother reached into her purse and pulled out a stack of legal documents, sliding them across the table to the Fred. "It's a settlement. It says that you and share joint custody of-,"

"I know what it says," Fred interrupted "I didn't fall for your little trap when Mickey brought it to me. What makes you think this time would be any different?"

 _So that's why he didn't sign it_ , Mary thought. "I didn't write this, Fred. Mickey did."

"Mickey?" Fred's eyes widened as he took a closer at the paper the settlement was printed on, recognizing the Riverdale High watermark imprinted underneath the text.

"It's a good deal. It says that the boys stay with you for the school year and I get them for the summer," Mary explained.

"And you're okay with that?"

"I wouldn't have signed it if I wasn't."

"Why?" Fred asked "Thought I was an unfit parent."

"You're not," Mary said with a deeply apologetic look "You're not an unfit parent. I am. I should've been here, Fred. I should've been here," she repeated in a trembling voice "to stop that woman from getting her hands on our son. Instead of burying myself in work, trying to pretend I wasn't a mother," she said with a voice full of self-loathing "I had no right to take my anger out on you the way I did. And I am truly sorry."

"You had every right to be angry. You trusted me to look after our boys when you left. And I failed," Fred admitted, as a lump formed in his throat "I let Geraldine Grundy take advantage of Archie on my watch and I will never forgive myself for that. Maybe the boys would be safer with you."

"Or maybe what they need is for us to work together," Mary suggested, handing her estranged husband a pen.

The construction worker stayed silent as he continued flipping through the pages of the settlement, looking at all that the deal would entail: He and Mary would have to call each other once a week to keep up to date on the status of their sons. And while they were with Fred, Mary would have to visit Riverdale at least three times a year. Fred sighed as he took the pen and signed his name next to Mary's, sliding the settlement back over to her. "What happens now?"

"Now, I go back to Chicago," Mary answered, placing the settlement in her purse as she got up from her seat "File this with the courts in the morning. Figure out how to fit two beds in my spare guest room."

"That's not what I meant," Fred looked directly into his wife's eyes, a sliver the old love they once had shared between them. "Where do we go from here?"

"After everything that's happened, I think it's best if we just focus on being co-parents for a while," Mary suggested sadly "make sure our kids get what they need."

Fred tried to ignore the pain his heart as he cleared his throat. "Maybe that's for the best."

"But, I was thinking about coming back, around Christmas?" Mary asked hopefully. "It's been a while since the four of us spent the holidays together."

"Yeah. Yeah, I think that'd be nice. Mary?" Fred glanced over his shoulder at his wife, a deeply grateful look in his dark brown eyes "Thank you, for not taking our sons away from me."

"Thank you for sharing them with me."

* * *

Hiram Lodge sat in his prison cell late that night, wearing a blue velvet rob over his uniform, listening to latin guitar records as he read _Don Quixote_ when one the guards walked in.

"Phone call, Mr. Lodge."

The New York city mobster set his book down and took the burner phone from the corrupt guard, leaning back in his corinthian leather chair. "This is Hiram."

" _Hello mi amor."_

"Hermione." Hiram felt his once neutral face shift into a deep scowl at the sound of his wife's voice. "How did you get this number?"

" _Sebastian gave it to me,"_ she answered, her voice taking on a nervous tone _"He thought it was time that we talked."_

"I don't."

" _I know that you're upset with me."_

"Upset doesn't even begin to describe it!" Hiram snapped, shooting up from his seat in anger "You kissed another man. Fred Andrews," he hissed furiously "in front of our daughter, Hermione. Our daughter!"

" _I'm sorry."_

"You're sorry," Hiram scoffed as he started pacing back and forth across the cell. "Why did you do it, Hermione? Did I hurt you? Did I neglect you? Did I disrespect you?"

" _Of course not. You're all I've ever wanted,"_ she insisted desperately _"I love you."_

"Then why did you do it?" he repeated "I gave you everything. I lied for you, I stole for you, I fought for you, I killed for y-,"

" _He made me."_

Hiram stopped dead in his tracks. "What did you say?"

" _Fred Andrews, he made me kiss him,_ " Hermione repeated _"He backed me into the corner, he pinned me against a wall. Asking, demanding,"_ she emphasized in a trembling voice _"for a kiss. I didn't have a choice, Hiram. My gun was in my purse on the desk, my cappos are in the wind. I'm sorry, Hiram. I never meant to betray you. I'm so sorry."_

"Hermione," Hiram's heart started pounding. His blood started boiling. His eyes saw only red as every bone in his body cried out for Fred Andrews' head on a plate "as God as my witness, I swear to you, that man will pay for what he did you." The New York city mobster reached under the cushion of his leather chair and pulled out a half-finished stack of divorce papers, crumbling them up as he balled his free hand into a tight fist. "You have nothing to apologize for, _mi amor._ I should've had men watching you and Veronica. I should've made sure there were no irregularities in our bookkeeping."

" _Hiram. Hiram,"_ Hermione repeated, calming her husband of his guilt-fueled rage _"We need to talk about Clifford Blossom."_

"Did he threaten you?"

" _No. Nothing like that,"_ she assured him _"He's dead."_

"Dead?" Hiram repeated in a surprised tone "How?"

" _Sebastian. But not in the way that you think. He and Veronica uncovered a security tape of Clifford putting a bullet in his own son's head. Sebastian called Clifford and made him an offer: triple the Blossom's monthly payments to our family had the tape disappear, or let it see the life of day and face life in prison."_

Hiram's eyes widened in an impressed manor. "Our nephew blackmailed Clifford Blossom?"

" _He certainly did. But before Clifford could transfer the money, some of Veronica's new friends uncovered the Blossom's drug operation in Canada,"_ Hermione went on _"Informed the authorities both here and in the north. When Clifford realized that his entire empire was falling apart, he hung himself in his barn."_

Hiram's eyes shone with dark ambition. "Which means Riverdale is ours for the taking."

" _It gets better. After the authorities seized his records, they found out that Clifford had bought half the jury to ensure your conviction. The judge is going to throw out the case due to tampering."_ Hiram could practically hear Hermione smile as she said the words " _It's over, Hiram. You can come home."_


	13. Chapter 13: The Sweet Hereafter

**Rest in Peace, Luke Perry.**

 **Thank you for bringing Fred Andrews to life on the silver screen.**

 **You live on the hearts of all your fans, friends, family and loved ones.**

* * *

"Dad, are you okay?"

Fred Andrews stood by the kitchen window the next morning, tugging at the silver horse pendant around his neck as Archie walked downstairs.

"I should've known," he answered in a grim voice "I should've known Clifford Blossom killed that boy."

"Dad, no one could've seen this coming," Archie insisted gently. "How could you have known?"

"Because I know him, Archie. Knew him," Fred corrected, still coming to terms with the fact that Clifford Blossom was dead "We grew up together, just like our fathers grew up together. Your grandfather practically dragged me and your uncle Owen to Thornhill every week for Sunday dinner until I was your age."

"Why am I just hearing about this now?" Archie asked "Why didn't you tell me you and Clifford were friends?"

"Clifford Blossom was never my friend," Fred scoffed "Claudius was."

"Who?"

"Claudius Blossom. Clifford's twin brother." Fred felt the faintest of smiles tug at his lips as he recalled the long-buried memories of his childhood at Thornhill, playing with toy soldiers with a shy, red-headed boy on the Blossom's living room floor "He was my best friend."

"What happened to him?"

"Clifford happened," Fred answered with the hint of a snarl "Before we started high school, the Blossom brothers went camping up by Shadowlake. Claudius never came back. Clifford said he ran away, and since he was the town golden boy, everyone believed him."

"Except you," Archie realized "You really think Clifford Blossom killed his own brother?"

"Now more than ever. Claudius was ten minutes older than Clifford. Which meant the position of Blossom Maple CEO was supposed to go to him. Clifford killed his brother for money. Just like he killed his son." Fred sighed as he ran a weary hand over his face. He and Mary moved back to Riverdale to make his transition from war life easier, to get away from the shadow of death that seemed to follow him everywhere since Iraq. Now it seemed that shadow had finally made its way here. "It's getting late," he told Archie "You better get going to school."

"What about Mickey?"

"His flight won't land for a few hours. No need for both you boys to miss school."

* * *

"So, they wouldn't let you go either, huh?"

"Nope."

Betty Cooper walked side-by-side with Archie as they made their way to school, the childhood friends both disappointed in their parents refusal to let them meet their siblings and Reggie at the airport.

"My mom let my dad move back in," Betty informed sourly "They dug our old cribs out of the attic for the twins. Started to talking about turning their home office into a nursery.

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"Because it's not real Archie! My parents are acting like the last three months didn't happen. Like we're some perfect family," she criticized "and it's driving me cra-,"

Archie frowned as his best friend quickly cut herself off, the frightened look on her face making him worried. "Betty, what's wrong?"

"It happened again. The blackouts."

Archie felt his stomach twist up in knots she showed him the fresh cuts on her palms. "When?"

"Last night, I think. When I woke up this morning, my room was trashed and I was holding an empty bottle of my dad's gin. I took my medication, Archie. I've been taking my medication," she insisted in a trembling voice "every day since Everwoods forest, I swear. But the blackouts keep coming."

Fear wasn't enough to describe the look on Betty's face. This was terror. Pure terror. And it killed Archie that he didn't know how to stop it. "We need to tell your parents."

"No."

"Betty, you need help. What if you have another blackout?" Archie feared "What if you get out the house? What if you come to in another town? What if-?"

"You promised Arch," Betty reminded in a trembling voice, her soft green eyes begging her best friend to keep his word "You promised."

"And I want to keep that promise. I want to help you. But I can't," Archie confessed painfully "and you need someone who can."

"Polly. She's been researching my symptoms for weeks. She's thinks she's close to a diagnosis. Just give her a little time Arch, please."

Archie felt his willpower crumble at the look on Betty's face. "One week. She's got one week," he repeated strictly "to find a diagnosis. Or we tell the others. Mickey, Kevin, Veronica, Jughead. Deal?"

"Deal."

Archie wrapped a hand around his best friend's shoulders ad she took a shaky breath. "Everything's going to be okay Betty. I promise."

* * *

"Ahh. Home sweet home." Reggie Mantle took a deep breath as he walked out of the Riverdale airport, grateful to be back home and far away from Vancouver and Blossom drug cartel. "Next time we go on vacation, let's go to Hawaii," he requested "Nothing bad ever happens in Hawaii."

"Guys." Mickey drew his friends' attention to the curb, where Fred, Alice, Hal, Marty and Melinda Mantle were waiting for them. The blue-eyed twin felt his stomach start doing flips as he stood less than foot away from his father, the look on his face bringing Mickey to a grim conclusion. "You know."

Fred nodded.

"How?"

"The US consulate called," Fred answered "Told us how proud we should be that our kids took down a drug-trafficking ring while on vacation."

"We do the man a favor and he rats us out?" Reggie questioned.

"We're grounded for life, aren't we?" Polly assumed.

"You should be," Alice said in a stern voice "But right now, we're just glad you're all safe."

The three teenagers let out a shared sigh of relief as their parents pulled them into a series of warm hugs.

"Wait until you get home Polly," Alice told her, leading her child through the parking lot as the Andrews and the Mantles did the same "Your father dug out your cribs for the twins. And we're going to turn the office into the most beautiful nursery, and I found these beautiful color swatches at the-,"

"I want to go back to school."

All eyes fell to the expecting mother as she blurted out her sudden request.

"Please? Just until the babies are born?" she stipulated "I miss my friends. I miss...feeling normal."

"Polly I understand," Alice told her in a deeply sympathetic look "believe me, I do. But baby, you are very pregnant. And if the kids at school see you like this-,"

"Anyone who tries to give her a hard time is going to have to answer to us," Mickey promised.

"We just flew to another country, took down a drug cartel, and brought your daughter home without a scratch," Reggie reminded "You think can't handle some high school bullies?"

Alice sighed. She didn't want to say yes, but also didn't want to risk driving Polly away again. "Okay. I'll get the registration papers from the school and you should be able to start tomorrow," she agreed, causing Polly to give her another hug.

Fred chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Mickey's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, son. But no more secrets, okay?"

"Does that mean you want to know about this?"

Fred tilted his head as Mickey drew his attention to the bandage on the corner of his forehead. "Yeah?"

"Cheryl's crazy aunt hit me with a gun."

* * *

"You're bluffing."

"I'm telling you it's the truth," Mickey insisted. The blue-eyed twin sat in the principal's office with Fred and Archie, the blue-eyed twin wearing his brown leather jacket over a navy blue Riverdale baseball hoodie, dark jeans and boots. He'd been telling all that had happened all that had happened while he was in Vancouver.

There was just one detail Archie couldn't seem to wrap his head around. "There is no way you met Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist."

"Then how did I get you this for a birthday present?" Mickey reached into his pocket and pulled out her phone for his brother to see, showing him a recording of the blonde actress in her costume outside her trailer.

" _Hi Archie!"_ she said with a warm smile _"Thank so much for watching the show and I hope you have very happy birthday."_

Archie's eyes widened as Melissa blew him a kiss during the final seconds of the video. "You are the best brother ever."  
"I know," Mickey said with a smirk. His brother had been crushing on Melissa since the show first started.

"Glad to know you kids had some fun while you were chasing bad guys," Fred said with a chuckle "Listen, I wanted to talk to you boys about the custody battle."

Mickey winced, remembering how he promised to side with Mary at the trial. "Dad, before you say anything-,"

"It's over. There's not going to be a trial. Your mother and I had a little talk," Fred explained "we decided to sign Mickey's settlement."

"I thought Mayor McCoy wrote the settlement," Archie commented.

"I gave her a list of my ideas. Asked her to add some lawyer words and make it official. We'll have to spend the summer in Chicago but for the rest of the year," Mickey's face was locked in a state of disbelief "We get to stay?"

"You get to stay." Fred confirmed.

Archie was stunned. "How did you get Mom to back down?"

"I didn't. Veronica did. I don't know what she said to Mary but it was enough to get her to-," Fred's eyes widened as Archie shot up from his seat and walked out the office "Where's he going?"

* * *

Archie's heart raced as he marched from the principal's office to the cafeteria, where he spotted Veronica sitting down for lunch with Betty, Kevin, Jughead, Reggie and Josie, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest at the sight of her. "Ronnie."

The New York native barely had time to look up as the brown-eyed twin called her name, right before he gave her kiss that made her heart race and her eyes see stars, while their friends looked on with dropped jaws.

"Oh my God," Kevin gasped.

Before it could go any further, Mickey caught up with his brother and pulled him back the collar of his shirt, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "That's just Archie-Boy's special way of saying thank you, Veronica."

"For what?" she asked, trying to ignore the growing blush in her cheeks as she gasped for air.

"Our mom backed down. We don't have to move to Chicago."

"Whoo!" Reggie's face broke into a massive grin as he pulled his best friend into an ecstatic hug. "This day just keeps getting better, baby!"

"You mean it?" Veronica felt a smile pull at the corners of her lips as she looked into Archie's eyes "You really get to stay?"

"Thanks to you," he confirmed, looking at her like she was made of diamonds. "Whatever you said to her, it worked."

"I just told her how I felt. I wasn't expecting to change her mind."

"But you did. Thank you, _sìthiche,"_ Archie told her, in a deeply grateful tone.

"So does this mean you two are a thing now?" Jughead asked.

Veronica felt her cheeks turn red hot at the look on Archie's face. "Yes, it does. B," The New York native gave her best friend a deeply apologetic look "We didn't want you to find out this way."

"It's okay V," Betty told her with a reassuring smile "If you guys want to be together, I'm happy for you."

As Veronica smiled, Archie felt a strange feeling settle in his stomach, remembering how he couldn't bring himself to pull away when...Elizabeth tried to kiss him. "Thanks, Betty."

"Okay, now that Betty has given her blessing, we need to get a double date on the books," Mickey insisted, gesturing between himself and Archie "Cheryl has been waiting for you two to get together for-," the young baseball player's eyes nearly fell out of his head "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Archie asked.

"Cheryl. She thinks I'm moving to Chicago. I got to go tell her!"

"She's not here."

Mickey stopped moving after he got up from his seat, looking over his shoulder after Josie spoke. "Then where is she?"

* * *

Cheryl Blossom stood with her mother in the Thornhill barn, her cheeks covered in a river of tears from her father's funeral.

"Why are you crying?" Penelope asked with a scoff "You hated him."

"Don't say that Mommy," Cheryl protested in a weak and timid voice. She did love Clifford. He may have been distant, but at least he never hurt her. Until now.

 _SMACK!_

The gothic heroine let out a whimper as her mother slapped her across the face, her cheek still sensitive from her last beating.

"Never tell me what to do," Penelope hissed "or I'll give you something to cry about," she promised causing Cheryl to shrink into herself as Penelope began to pace around the barn, the floor still sticky from the male syrup Sheriff Keller and his men spilled when they raided the house.

"This family is cursed," she said bitterly "ever since the original murder, when brother butchered brother. Who will the grim reaper take next? You? Me? Maybe Clifford had the right idea. Better to just end it all then spend a lifetime in this miserable limbo."

As her mother headed back inside, Cheryl felt her gaze drift up to the rafters, watching the rope her father used to hang himself as it swung back and forth.

* * *

"The Blossom family has been selling and mass-producing drugs for generations. Authorities are already rounding up Cheryl's relatives and they've seized all their accounts, digging into every crevice and corner of their lives." Veronica sighed as she recalled how ruthless the authorities were when they knocked on her door in the New York "and they're only just getting started."

Mickey ran a guilt-ridden hand over his face. "This is our fault."

"No it isn't," Archie insisted.

"Bro, we took down a boatload of bad guys," Reggie reminded, wearing his varsity jacket over a black hoodie, jeans and high-tops.

"And turned Cheryl's life upside down after we drove her father to suicide less than a minute after she found out he killed her brother," Mickey groaned as he rested his head on the table. "She's never going to talk to me again."

"Cheryl loves you," Veronica reminded "and when she comes back to school tomorrow, I'm sure you two will work things out."

"In the meantime, maybe you could help us with another problem?" Betty requested.

"My dad says that the Riverdale drug trade should've gone comatose after the Blossoms went down," Kevin explained "but every C.I. says there's more dope on the streets than usual."

"Must be a new player," Micky theorized "Someone trying to take Clifford's spot as king of the hill."

"That was fast," Reggie commented.

"Whoever it is, they've got their own private army of dealers," Jughead added "whoever's selling this stuff, it's not the Serpents. My dad told me and Sheriff Keller himself."

"But you wouldn't know that if you talked to mayor McCoy," Betty criticized "She won't even admit that Clifford Blossom was the one behind Jason Blossom's murder. She's putting all the blame on the Serpents."

"Maybe that's because she knows it'll do more harm than good," Josie defended, raising her head off of Reggie's shoulder "The 75th Jubilee is less than a week away. If it doesn't go well, Riverdale's economy won't survive long enough for SoDale to create long-term jobs. Who do you think's going to spend money at a party celebrating a town founded by a family of drug-dealing child killers?"

"Since when is the truth less important than making money? If no one else is going to stand up for the Serpents, then I will," Betty decided, pulling out a pen and notebook from her bag "I'm going to write an article and I'm going to put in the Blue & Gold."

"You have got to be kidding me." All eyes turned to Reggie Mantle as he spoke, his eyes burning with a long heated hatred "Those low lives got one of my Bulldog brothers killed and you want to defend them?"

"My father didn't kill Jason Blossom," Jughead reminded sharply.

"He sold him out!" Reggie shouted, shooting up from his seat "Served him up to Clifford Blossom on a plate. And he's the leader of a bunch of Harley-riding, Neo-Nazi psychos!"

"What did you say!?"

"Jug, don't." Archie tried to keep his best friend from shooting up from his seat, his arm slipping right through his grasp.

"I said that your father is a racist, boozed-soaked thug," Reggie snarled "who got one of my best friends killed, a seventeen year-old kid who was ten times the man FP Jones could ever hope to be. And I hope the judges give him the electric chair."

Mickey's eyes widened as Jughead lunged at Reggie from across the table, causing the Andrews brothers to quickly pull them apart.

"Cool it!" Mickey snapped "Both of you!"

"You're on his side?" Reggie questioned "After what the Serpents did to my family?"

"I'm not on anybody's side. Reggie!" Mickey sighed as his best friend turned around and marched out, shoving his way past Moose and Midge.

"I cannot stand that guy," Jughead huffed "and where does he get off calling my father a racist?"

"For two of the smartest people I know, you can be really stupid sometimes," Josie told Betty and Jughead "Reggie's brother was attacked by the Southside Serpents when he was our age. Two of them had Nazi tattoos."

"No. No," Jughead repeated fiercely "No way my dad would let guys like that into the Serpents."

"But he did," Mickey disputed grimly.

"And how do you know that?" Jughead questioned angrily "Because Reggie told you?"

"Because I was there. Reggie and I were in the back seat of Oliver's car when the Serpents beat him half to death." Mickey felt his hands ball into the fists as the gruesome memory replayed in his head "We saw the whole thing."

* * *

"Hey tiger. You okay?"

Josie found Reggie alone in the gym, a visibly shaken and angry look on his face.

"I'm fine," Reggie lied, not looking up from the floor.

Josie stayed silent as she sat down next to him, eventually asking the question. "Why didn't you tell me you saw the Serpents attack your brother?"

Reggie shrugged, not even bothered that Mickey had told her. "Most people wouldn't understand."

"I'm not most people. Do you have any idea how much hatemail my mom gets from the Southside everyday?" Josie asked "How scared I was when I first found them hidden in her desk when she was running for office?"

"Sensitivity isn't too popular in the Mantle house. My stepdad has a saying: be like stone, don't cry."

Josie reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to be stone around me," she whispered "How old were you when-?"

"Eleven," Reggie answered "Ollie was on his way back from getting us popcorn. The Serpents, they came out of nowhere. They had beers in their hands and they...threw their snacks at him. And when Ollie tried to fight back, they started hitting him. And when he fell down, they started, they started laugh-," The varsity quarterback quickly cleared his throat as his voice started to tremble, blinking rapidly as his eyes stung with tears. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, Josie. I can't talk about it."

"Okay honey." she permitted, gently rubbing his shoulders. The look on his face…it reminded her of when her grandfather talked about the beatings he got during the civil rights marches down south "The Pussycats are singing _Astronaut_ at the Jubilee. I have the recording of our last rehearsal on my phone. Do you want to hear it?"

Reggie nodded, let out a soft sniffle as Josie placed one of her headphones in his ear, allowing him to hear the Pussycats' rendition of the song. The leader of the Riverdale Bulldogs stayed silent as he took a deep breath, letting the song wash over him, his face softening he finally raised his gaze from the floor and met Josie's eyes, her dark brown orbs looking back at his, a genuine connection shared between them, right before they shared a soft, gentle kiss.

* * *

"Betty, you got a minute?"

Archie found his best friend working alone in the Blue & Gold, working on her Pro-Serpent article.

"Sure. What is it, Arch?"

"I just wanted to check on you. You know, the last time you said you were okay with me and Veronica-,"

"Even though I wasn't." The blonde-haired girl smiled at the her best friend's concerned expression "But this time I am. I promise."

"Good. That's good," Archie repeated as his shoulders relaxed.

"So, you and Veronica?"

"Yeah." The brown-eyed twin felt a smile appear on his face at the mention of the raven-haired princess "I like her, a lot. She's amazing. About as amazing as the girl who helped me through my mini-depression attack last night," he added, causing his best friend to blush "You know Betty," Archie felt his heart speed up as he slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, wrapping his fingers around the old _Chronicles of Narnia_ book "A little part of me always thought-,"

"You know, we're both so lucky," Betty interrupted quickly, the look on his face causing her nails to dig into her palms "Don't you think? That we've both found the people we've the people that we're supposed to be with? And that we're all friends? I mean, who would've thought at the beginning of the school year?"

Archie let go of the book as he forced a smile. "Yeah. Who would've thought? I'm, uh, I'm going to get to class. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay. Arch?" Betty gave her best friend a warm smile as he stood in the office doorway "I'm really glad you're staying."

Archie smiled. "Me too, _aingeal._ "

As he walked out, Betty reached into her backpack and pulled out an old photograph of her and Archie, their faces encased in a massive heart drawn in pink lipstick.

* * *

Archie sighed as he leaned against the lockers across from the newspaper office, the _Chronicles of Narnia_ book feeling as if it suddenly weighed ten tons in his hands, staring at the USB drive taped to the inside front cover. It was a copy of the song he'd written for Betty. He wanted to her have it in case he had to move to Chicago. But now that he was staying...dear God, what was wrong with him?

With a deep sigh, the brown-eyed twin ripped the flash drive from the inside of the book and threw it in the trash, slipping the book into his backpack as he headed down the hall. This was for the best. Things were better this way. Betty had Jughead. Archie had Veronica. And the four of them were all friends. Best friends. Betty and Archie may not end up as some great love story, but their friendship would be one for the ages. And that was enough. It had to be enough.

As he walked down the hall, Archie founds his steps leading him to Veronica's locker, where the raven-haired princess was grabbing books for her next class. "Hey."

"Hi."

Archie felt his smile widen as he played with her fingers. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Little homework, helping my mom get ready for Daddy's return."

"Think you could spare a couple hours to have dinner with me at Pop's?"

Veronica gave him a teasing smile. "Are you asking me on a date, Archiekins?"

"If I was, would you say yes?"

"Absolutely."

Archie smiled as the two of them a soft yet passionate kiss, ready to face his future with Veronica and leave his feelings for Betty in the past.

* * *

Fred Andrews was not happy. After dropping Mickey off at school, and making sure that the joint custody settlement had been filed, the former Army Ranger made his way to work, where he found his entire crew had been replaced. There was only explanation: Hermione.

The construction worker marched into his office, his eyes blazing like a raging volcano as he glared at the raven-haired mother sitting at his desk. "You have got some nerve."

"What is it this time, Fred?" Hermione asked, not looking up from the papers stacked in front of her.

"My crew," he snarled "You replaced my. Crew. Why?"

"The mayor and the Sheriff have declared open season on the Southside Serpents. I had to secure us a workforce that didn't include Riverdale's most wanted," Hermione explained logically.

"Those men stood by me when no one else did. I don't turn my back on people who support me. And where did you get so many men so fast?" Fred asked.

"I made a call to my brother. He had some employees in Chicago looking to leave the city behind."

Vincero. Of course. "This is my company, Hermione," Fred reminded sharply " You can't just make decisions like you own the place."

"Last time I checked, Andrews Construction was under the employment of Lodge Industries," Hermione countered "And I will do whatever it takes to ensure its success."

"You gave me twenty percent of the SoDale shares. That gives me more than a right to say how this project is run."

"Funny you should mention that," Hermione commented, rising from her seat "I'm going to need those shares back. It's not like you need them anymore, now that the case is over. And do you really want to be stuck in a bunch of business meetings with my husband and my brother?"

Fred leaned across the desk as his blood began to boil, his eyes like an ancient volcano about to erupt. "I'm not afraid of Hiram. Or Vincero. Not now, not ever. And if you really want my shares, have your lawyers make me an offer. I'll consider it."

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked as he turned around and headed for the door.

"To get to know my new crew."

Hermione jumped as Fred slammed the door on his way out, silently twirling a pen between her fingers. It seemed that her time in the Andrews family's good graces had come to a close. Fortunately, Veronica's hadn't.

* * *

Polly Cooper sat alone at her bedroom desk, going over all the material from Principal Weatherby to help prepare for her return to school. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay in school for long, but the more classes she passed before the twins were born, the easier it would be to her GED once things settled down. It was finding a job in Riverdale that was hard. So far, all she could find was either waitressing at Pop's or begging her parents to take her on as a secretary.

"Polly?"

The expecting mother turned away from her books at the sound of her little sister's voice, finding her standing nervously in the doorway. "What is it Betty?"

"I need your help."

Polly's eyes widened as Betty showed her the fresh cuts on her palms. Dear God, not another blackout. "When did this happen?"

"Last night. I went to bed last night and when I woke up," Betty's stomach sank to her knees as her face turned pale "Come see for yourself."

The leader of the Riverdale Blue & Gold lead her sister across the hall, making sure that their parents weren't in sight before she opened her bedroom door.

"Whoa." Polly's eyes widened as she walked into her sister's room, the sight similar to a town torn apart by a tornado.

The bed was covered in pictures and magazines. The vanity desk had desk looked like it'd been raided. And all of the clothes from the closet had been piled up on the floor in two piles: Pink and not pink. The expecting mother felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at the pile of non-pink clothes, a short black wig sitting on top. "Is that-?"

"The wig I wore at Ethel's when Veronica and I investigating Chuck," Betty confirmed timidly "But I don't remember where I found it. Or how I even got it."

Polly stayed silent as she walked over to the bed, shuffling through the magazines her sister had gathered. Some were fashion magazines, with covers promising a series of instructions for full, bouncy hairstyles, a select few circled in bright pink lipstick. The rest of the magazines were shopping catalogs for high-end stores and boutiques, with tops, skirts, dresses and shoes all circled in the same lipstick. "Looks like you wanted to go shopping."

"When have you ever seen me wear anything like that?" Betty asked.

She was right. The items that had been circled were tighter and shorter than anything Polly had seen her sister in. They looked liked they belonged in Cheryl and Veronica's closets.

The young expecting mother felt her eyes narrow as she inspected the pink lipstick marks covering the magazine pages. They were the same shade, which meant it was the same lipstick, but the color...it was hot pink, bright, bold and vibrant. Far more than anything Betty had worn before. And it smelled sweet, like candy.

"Bubblegum Baby."

Polly gave her sister a confused look. "What?"

"The lipstick. It's Bubblegum Baby," Betty explained, pulling it out of bag and handing it to her sister. "I was wearing it when I woke up. But I don't remember where I bought it."

Polly stayed silent as she rolled the black lipstick tube back and forth between her fingers, the product's name on one side and the company brand on the other. _Dior._ Now who did she know that wore _Dior_?

Tabling that question for another time, Polly took another look around the room, noticing the empty gin bottle in the trash can by Betty's desk. "Did you drink that last night?"

"And I've got the hangover to prove it," Betty confirmed.

"Betty, you were drunk," Polly said with a relieved smile "You raided Dad's liquor cabinet, went on a bender and tried to give yourself a makeover."

"Since when do I break into liquor cabinets?" Betty hissed in a panicked whisper "And where did the lipstick come from? And the wig? And this?"

Polly's eyes widened as her sister quickly dug in her bag, pulling out a lacy black push-up bra and a matching sheer skirt.

"I found this in that pile," said Betty, jabbing a finger at the stack of non-pink clothes "But I have no idea where it came from. Or the lipstick or the wig. Polly," The young reporter looked at sister with terror-filled eyes as she asked "What is happening to me?"

Polly said nothing, her mind racing to put the pieces together as she inspected the pictures on Betty's bed. They were pictures of Archie and Betty. Together. Their faces surrounded in lipstick drawn hearts.

"Look on the back," Betty instructed.

Curious, Polly obeyed and turned the picture over in her hand, revealing a series of childish romantic phrases: _Mr. & Mrs. Andrews. Mrs. Archie Andrews. Mrs. Elizabeth Andrews._

"Elizabeth." Polly's eyes widened as she remembered "Betty, when you blacked out Jughead's party, Archie said you kept asking him to call you Elizabeth."

"That doesn't make any sense. The only one who calls me Elizabeth is mom and that's only when I'm in trouble."

Polly remained quiet as she stared at the photo in her hand, going over all of her sister's symptoms in her mind: blackouts, uncharacteristic behavior, using a different name. Dear God, there was only one explanation.

"Polly," Betty felt her panic start to grow at the look on her sister's face "What is it?"

"I don't think you have schizophrenia," she answered, hoping to give her sister a sliver of comfort "I think you have dissociative identity disorder."

Betty felt sick to his stomach. "You're saying there's another person inside of me?"

Polly felt her throat close up as she nodded. "A separate identity. An alter. Who goes by-,"

"Elizabeth." Betty felt her eyes fill with tears as she sank to the floor. "Oh my God."

"Betty," Polly hurried to her sister's side as she started to cry. "Betty, it's okay. It's okay."

"I'm crazy," she sobbed.

"No you're not. You're not," Polly repeated, gently stroking Betty's face as she wiped the tears from her face "You're just sick. But it's going to be okay. I'm going to make you better," she promised, trying to keep her voice level.

Betty had done so much for Polly. She moved heaven and earth to get her home, to free her from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. To find her a safe place to stay. Polly owed Betty everything. The least she could do was this.

Betty sniffed. "How?"

Polly was quiet for a minute, trying to come up with a response. Just because she wanted to be a psychiatrist didn't mean she was one. But this was her sister. Her baby sister. She had to fix this. "I need to talk to her."

"Talk to her?"

"Betty, you created Elizabeth for a reason," Polly explained "If we can figure out why, we can make sure you stay in control."

"Polly, how are you supposed to talk to her?" Betty questioned "I don't even know how I turn into her."

"I do." Polly took her little sister's hands and turned them palms up,,running her thumbs over the cuts on Betty's palms. "You have these cuts every time you come to from a blackout, right? I think they're some sort of switch," she theorized "that lets you change between you and your alter. So tonight, you and I are going to make Elizabeth come out and she is going to have a talk with her big sister."

* * *

Archie, Jughead and Mickey walked into the front door of their home late that afternoon, finding Fred speaking in the kitchen with a stranger.

Mickey did not like the look on Fred's face "Dad, what's going on?"

"Boys, this is Miss Weiss," the single father introduced, gesturing to the strange woman standing next to him "She's Jughead's social worker."

"Social worker?" the dark-haired boy repeated.

"I know this has been an overbearing week for you Mr. Jones," Miss Weiss acknowledged in a formal yet sympathetic voice "Your mother is over-extended in Toledo. And your father is facing decades in prison. We just want to make sure that you're taking care of."

"Jughead can stay with us," Archie offered quickly "as long as he wants."

"Your father already made that offer, Mr. Andrews," Miss Weiss informed "unfortunately, due to a lack of finances and his DUI-,"

"DUI?" Mickey repeated "What DUI?"

"It was two years ago," Fred explained "when your mother left."

"Which is why the state will be sending Jughead to foster home on the Southside of town. He will need to transfer to Southside High," Miss Weiss added, packing up her things as the boys looked on in shock "It will take some time for the paperwork to process. Jughead won't have to move until the end of the week."

"End of the week? Dad." Archie gave his father a greatly desperate look.

"Boys, I don't like this anymore than you do. But this out of our hands," Fred insisted sadly "Jughead, I already called your dad. Told him what's going on."

The Southside native nodded silently, a dazed and defeated look on his face. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Jug." Archie grabbed his best friend's arm as he turned toward the door, remembering how he tried to run away the last time he got bad news about FP.

"I'll be back," he promised, recognizing the worried look on Archie's face "You just get ready for your date with Veronica."

As the dark-haired boy headed out, Fred gave his son a teasing smirk. "You've got a date with Veronica?"

"Yeah. I'm taking her to dinner at Pop's. I just came home to freshen up. I won't be out long," he assured as he headed upstairs.

Fred sighed as the social worker walked out, grabbing a soda and beer from the fridge. "Looks like it's just you and me, Mick."

"Guess so," the blue-eyed twin commented before taking a long sip from his drink. Mickey frowned as he noticed that the look on his father's face. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Hermione. She replaced all the Serpents on our crew. Had Vincero fly in a bunch of guys from Chicago. And now, she wants to buy our shares in the SoDale project."

"Our shares?" Mickey repeated.

Fred nodded. "You and I are partners. Any decisions about the business, we make them together. So, what do you think? Should we sell shares or hold onto them?"

Mickey was quiet for a moment, tugging at his beloved bronze necklace as he weighed the options before him. Selling the shares would mean give them the money they needed to keep custody of Jughead. But… "You said the new guys were sent by Vincero Santiago?"

Fred nodded, tilting his head at the look on Mickey's face as he took a sip from his beer.

"Today at lunch, Kevin said that the Riverdale drug trade should've slowed down after the Blossoms went down. But it hasn't. And Cricket Blossom told me that her family sent Hiram Lodge to jail because they were worried that he and Vincero would run them out of business."

"And now Vincero's thugs are in our town. On my crew." Fred's eyes began to see red as he slammed his fists against the kitchen counter. It happened again. Hermione played him. Again.

"Dad, we can't stop the Lodges if we sell those shares. But if we keep them...,"

Fred raised an eyebrow at the tone in his son's voice. "You want to go to war with the Lodges?"

"I want to stop them. Like we stopped the Blossoms. Keeping those shares give us a seat at the table," Mickey explained "a way to stop the Lodges and Vincero Santiago before they can hurt anybody else."

Fred should've seen this coming. Mickey had always been bold. But now he was creeping on arrogant. "You got lucky with the Blossoms. And you nearly got shot."

"But I didn't. Hiram Lodge is a monster, Dad. So is Vincero Santiago. You and Mom know that better than anyone. And they are coming after us whether we do something or not," Mickey insisted "All I'm saying is that we watch them. And the second they step out of line, we call Sheriff Keller. And when that happens...Dad, we could be rich. Think about. Hiram and Vincero are both on parole. If they get sent back to jail, the only SoDale partners left standing would be-,"

"Us," Fred realized "We'd own it."

"We could make it into whatever we want. Something that could change Riverdale for the better. Like this."

Fred gave his son a curious look as Mickey handed him a brown leather sketchbook from his backpack, allowing the single father to see what was inside.

They were blueprints. For big city staples that a small town like Riverdale could only dream of. A major publishing house. A football stadium. A grand concert hall. Glistening skyscrapers.

"I don't just want to build buildings, Dad. I want to design them. I want to be an architect. I want Andrews Construction to be Andrews Construction & Design," Mickey revealed ambitiously "and I want you to do it with me."

Fred felt a tug on his heartstrings as he paused at one of Mickey's designs, this one of a major office building for their family business. "If we're going to do this, we need to be very careful," he stipulated "The Lodges and the Santiagos are extremely dangerous. And with the exception of Veronica, they hate us. So if we're going to take them down, we cannot afford to show our hand until we know we have them dead to rights. Got it?"

"Got it," Mickey echoed "So what's our first move?"

"We clean house."

But before Fred could even begin to explain what that meant, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Mickey offered, heading through the living room to the front of the house, where he found an unexpected face standing on the porch. "Josie? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," she answered, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him onto the porch. "While you were away, Penelope came after Cheryl again.

Mickey's stomach sank to his knees. "When?"

"Yesterday. After she found out you snuck Polly out of Thornhill. She choked her," Josie revealed with a lump in her throat "gave her a black eye."

Mickey could hardly breathe. His blood turned to ice. His face turned pale with guilt.

"This isn't your fault. Mickey." Josie gave the blue-eyed twin an insistent look "this isn't your fault. Cheryl helped you get Polly out of Thornhill because she knew it was the right thing to do. And right now, she needs our help. The feds took all of her family's money. Her trust fund is gone. If we don't figure out something soon, she's going to be stuck with Penelope with the rest of her life."

Mickey stayed silent as he tugged at the bronze pendant around his neck, trying to come up with anything resembling a plan. That's when he remembered the inscription on the back. _Strength in numbers._

"What are you doing?" Josie asked as Mickey pulled out his phone.

"Getting reinforcements."

* * *

"You're quiet. Is everything alright?"

Veronica blinked as she sat in a booth at Pop's with Archie, an apologetic look spreading across her face. "Just a lot of things on my mind."

"I know what you mean. A social worker came by the house. Said that Jughead has to move the Southside. At least it's not Chicago." The brown-eyed twin frowned as he noticed the uneasy look on his new girlfriend's face. "What is it?"

Archie, your father is a partner on the SoDale project."

"I didn't know that," he commented, casually taking a sip from his strawberry milkshake. It didn't really concern him, anyway. Mickey was the one going into the family business, not him.

"My mother gave him twenty percent ownership to keep him on the project. But now she wants the shares back. She wanted me to," Veronica paused nervously as she struggled to find the right words "convince you to make a case to your dad."

"Like, talk me into it?"

"More like seduce you."

Archie laughed. Then she realized she was serious. "Why would your mom ask you to do that?"

"Despite our parents...flirtation, it seems my mother's love for my father is still as strong as ever. She wants to repair her marriage with Daddy once he gets out," Veronica explained.

"Which is going to hard with my dad and my brother sitting across from them during business meetings. Do you want me to talk to them?" Archie asked.

"What I want is for us to be together," she answered, reaching across the table to take his hand "without the shadow of an inevitable family war looming over our heads. I want your family to like me, Archie. I want my family to like you."

"Ronnie, my dad and Mickey already like you," Archie assured with a smile "and I'm pretty your mom likes me."

"What about my dad? What if he blames you for what happened between my mom and your dad?" Veronica feared "What if your mom can't see past all the terrible things my mother put her through in high school? What if Sebastian and Mickey can't go five minutes without fighting?"

Archie frowned at the mention of his girlfriend's cousin. "Sebastian lives in Chicago."

"For now. But my uncle Vincero is a SoDale partner too. He's even thinking about moving his family down to help my parents get things started. If that happens, Sebastian would finish his senior year at Riverdale High with us." Veronica let out a weary sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair "Sometimes it feels like we're on the path of this Shakespearean tragedy like-,"

" _Romeo and Juliet._ You said that before. Ronnie, do you know why _Romeo and Juliet_ ended the way it did?" Archie asked "Because Romeo and Juliet were scared that their parents would try to tear them apart, they never stopped to think them being together could actually get their families to stop fighting. If our parents really care about the way they say they do, then they won't try to keep us apart."

Veronica stared at Archie for a moment, amazed by his unwavering hope and compassion.

"I have something for you." Archie felt his cheeks grow red as he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, revealing an audio recording saved under a simple label: _Veronica._

"I'm still working on the lyrics, but I finished the chorus. Do you want to hear it?"

Veronica nodded, smiling brightly as she took one of her boyfriend's earbuds and placed it in her ear, letting the Latin-inspired melody was over her as the song began, remembering what instantly came to mind the first time she heard it.

"Dance with me," she requested.

"What?"

"I have been wanting to dance to this song from the moment I heard it, Archiekins. Now that I know it's about us, you cannot deny me this."

Archie chuckled as he allowed his girlfriend to drag him out of the booth and onto the diner floor, the two of them swaying back and forth to the music as the chorus began.

" _Take my hand, let's dance the night away_

 _Ignore the world and what they say_

 _Forget your fears and just trust your heart_

 _Shining bright like a star in the dark_

 _Never imagined I would have a chance_

 _You're pure elegance, I'm Aladdin_

 _But to lose you now would be tragic_

 _Promise to fill your days with sweet magic_

 _Could spend forever wrapped in your light_

 _My New York fairy of the night."_

"Fairy of the night, huh?"

Archie blushed at the teasing look on Veronica's face. "It came to me in a dream. Do you like it?"

"I love it," she told him in a soft, intimate tone.

As the two young lovers attempted to share a kiss, Archie felt a hand suddenly grasp his shoulder, prompting him to turn around and face Reggie Mantle. "Really bad timing, man."

"Are Josie and Mickey here yet?" the varsity football captain asked impatiently.

"What are you talking about?"

"They texted us to meet them here," Reggie explained, surprised at the confused looks on his friends' faces "You didn't know?"

"No, we came here for a dinner date," Veronica informed, crossing her arms as she realized it was over.

At that moment, Mickey and Josie walked in, grateful to see their friends already assembled.

"What's this about bro? My mom's at home making me a hero's feast for taking down the Blossoms," Reggie informed to get home "And you know you cannot reheat homemade chicken dumplings."

Mickey got to the point. "We need to get Cheryl out of Thornhill."

"Mickey, what are you doing?" Josie demanded "We promised Cheryl."

"I promised Cheryl I would protect her. And I can't do that if I keep my mouth shut." Once Josie gave him a permissive look, Mickey went on "Cheryl's in danger. If we don't find her a new place to live soon, she's going to get hurt. Bad."

"Hurt?" Archie repeated "By who?"

"By her mother," Josie answered.

Veronica let out sharp gasp as the mayor's daughter pulled out her phone, revealing a picture of Cheryl's face covered in bruises. "Cherry."

"Penelope has been beating her kids since they were seven years old. Cheryl's been trying to hold out until she's eighteen so she can take of Nana Rose. But the Blossoms lost all their money after Mickey and Reggie busted their drug ring."

"This is why you had Cheryl spend the night after Polly's baby shower," Archie realized "isn't it?"

Mickey said nothing, his gaze locked on the image of Cheryl's beaten and battered face. His blood boiled. His hands balled into tight fists. His eyes saw red. To put it simply, he was furious. "I'm going to rip Penelope's head off."

He wasn't the only one. "Not before I shove my Louis Vuitton heels down her throat," Veronica snapped.

"Guys!" Archie quickly ran in front of his brother and girlfriend as they made a march for the door. Once he saw their faces, he wished he hadn't.

If looks could kill, Veronica's gaze was like a bullet to the head. "Archie, Cheryl's mother is _hitting_ her! We can't just leave her in Thornhill."

"We also can't barge in and drag her out of there either," Josie countered "I've been helping Cheryl keep this a secret for two years. No one wants to save her more than me. But if we go in their without a plan, all we'll be doing is putting Cheryl in more danger."

"Penelope did that to Cheryl because of me!" Mickey snapped, his voice full of self-loathing "because I took Polly out of Thornhill. I promised Cheryl I would protect her and all I've done is get her hurt and screw up her only chance at a life away from her mother. So if anybody's a better plan besides wringing Penelope's neck, I would love to hear it."

Reggie placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. It didn't take a genius to see how much this was killing him. "Babe, you have pictures. Why don't we just take them to the cops?"

"Cheryl won't go anywhere without her Nana Rose. If we take these to Sheriff Keller, she'll just say that Clifford did this to her. We need to find a place for Cheryl and her grandmother to stay, where Nana Rose can be taken care of. Which means hiding the two of them in Mickey's attic or your pool house is out."

"What if they move into the Pembrooke?" Veronica suggested "or your house?"

"My mom is in the middle of a re-election campaign and my dad is on tour. They can't take care of Nana Rose. And do you really think your dad is going to let a pair of Blossoms into his house after they tried to send him to prison?" Josie asked.

"Somebody please think of something!" Mickey demanded.

"Family."

All eyes fell to Archie Andrews as he spoke, his face alight with inspiration. "Cheryl and Nana Rose can stay with their family."

"Archie, Cheryl's family can't take her and Nana Rose," Veronica disputed "All of the Blossoms are underground."

"I wasn't talking about the Blossoms."

Mickey's eyes widened as he realized what his brother was thinking. "Archie-Boy, you're a genius."

* * *

Toni Topaz stood behind the bar of the White Wyrm, cleaning up the mess the latest pack of drunks had left behind, when Sweet Pea came barging in, kicking pinball machine with a grunt. "What is your problem?"

"My brother lost his job, that's my problem. FP's Northsider buddy cut all the Serpents from his crew," Sweet Pea answered with a frustrated growl "My family can barely make ends meet as it is, how are we supposed to cover the rent for our trailer now?"

"Relax," Toni told him in a soothing tone "FP will know what to do when he comes back."

"You mean if he comes back."

The pink-haired Serpent felt a wave panic wash over her. "He's coming back."  
"Toni-,"

"He's coming back!" She repeated, trying to control the fear creeping into her voice "and if those Northsiders won't let him out, we'll break him out." She had been planning the escape for ever since FP had been arrested.

"No we can't," Sweet Pea gave his friend a nervous look as he revealed "Joaquin's gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"He left town last night. Said he was heading west to lay low. He's the one who helped FP hide Jason Blossom's body," he revealed in a whisper.

Toni could not believe this. Her entire plan to free FP hindered on Joaquin. Him and his relationship with the sheriff's son. Without him… "I'll figure something else out."

"Toni-,"

"I'll figure it out," she repeated, silently daring Sweet Pea to question her again.

He knew better. Out all of them, Toni and Joaquin were the most loyal to FP. Although the leader of the Southside Serpents had been a father to all of them, Joaquin's grandmother and died two years ago. And Toni's grandfather didn't seem that far behind. Fangs and Sweet Pea still had a few relatives in the Southside, but if FP went to prison…,

"Hey Toni."

The two young Serpents turned towards the door as Fangs Fogarty walked in, a teasing smile on his face as he handed the pink-haired Serpent a large bouquet of roses. "Look what your Northside boyfriend sent you."

Sweet Pea raised a curious eyebrow. "You're dating a Northsider?"

"Dude, I don't even know anybody from the Northside," Toni insisted.

"Oh, he's from the Northside," Fangs argued playfully "Who do you know on the Southside named Sebastian?"

Toni felt her heart skip a beat at the mention of the boy from Chicago, finding a letter attached to the front of the bouquet, addressed to her from him.

"See?" Fangs grinned knowingly at the look on her face "She is dating a Northsider."

"He is not a Northsider," Toni corrected, setting the roses down on the bar "He's from Chicago, he was here visiting relatives and we had a one night stand. That's all."

"So how come Mr. Windy City's sending your flowers?" Sweet Pea asked protectively.

"Got me." No one had ever sent Toni flowers before. At least, not after spending only one night together. The pink-haired Serpent removed the letter from the bouquet and opened the envelope, silently reading the not inside: _Thanks again for an unforgettable night in Riverdale,"_ it read _"Never forget that you are a precious gem in a world full of coals. Hope our paths cross again, Sebastian."_

Precious. He called her precious. Toni's father used to call her that.

"So," Sweet Pea smirked as he joined Fangs in ridiculing their friend, the blush creeping into her cheeks making it too easy "When's your boyfriend coming for another visit?"

"Or did he ask you to come visit him this time?" Fangs wondered.

"Don't make me cut you," Toni threatened, answering her phone as it began to ring "Hello?"

" _Hey Toni."_

"FP." the young bartender felt her eyes widen at the sound of the gang leader's voice. "Did they let you out?"

" _Not yet. But I'm working on it,"_ he promised, trying his best not to worry her " _But I need a favor from you and the boys until then."_

"Name it."

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me" Alice Cooper stood in her living room with her daughters, staring at Josie, Reggie, Veronica and the Andrews brothers in shock of their request. "You want us to do what?"

"I want you to adopt Cheryl," Mickey repeated "and Nana Rose."

"And why on earth would we do that?" Alice asked, legitimately questioning the children's sanity.

"Because Penelope Blossom is a monster," Veronica answered "who's been physically abusing her children for a decade."

Polly brought a hand to her stomach at the mention of the father of her children. "Jason...was beaten?"

"For a while," Mickey confirmed sadly "until he started doing sports. But it only got worse for Cheryl."

Polly was speechless. This was why Jason didn't want to leave Cheryl alone in Riverdale. Why he wanted to keep their children as far away from the Blossoms as possible.

"The reason she hasn't run off is because of Nana Rose," Josie explained "I have more than enough evidence to put Penelope away," she assured, having photographed ever cut and bruise for the nearly three years "but Cheryl won't tell the police the truth unless she knows her grandmother is taken care of."

"Please B," Veronica pleaded "You guys are the only family Cheryl has that's not facing drug charges. If Cheryl and Nana Rose move in with you, at least they won't be taken away from their friends."

Betty said nothing, her eyes dark and distant as her nails dug into palms. The young reporter blinked as she felt Polly take her little sister's hand, pulling back towards reality.

"Cheryl doesn't know that you're here, does she?" Betty asked.

"No," Mickey confirmed "She doesn't."

"So what makes you think she'd even want to live with us? She hate us."

"Cheryl does not hate you. She's jealous of you. Because you two have a mom who fights tooth and nail for her kids," Mickey explained, giving Alice a respectful glance "and all her mom does is hurt her."

"Betty, I know you and Cheryl don't have the best track record," Archie acknowledged "but she is in serious trouble and you guys are the only ones who can help her."

Betty felt her darkness subside as she stared into her best friend's eyes, his dark brown irises pleading with her to help. "The Blossoms and the Coopers are family. I think it's time we started acting like it."

"It killed Jason to leave Cheryl and Nana Rose behind when we planned to leave Riverdale. Now I know why. If we have a chance to help them, we should do it," Polly agreed.

Alice looked at the united front from the children and sighed. "I can't make any promises. But I will discuss it with Hal when he gets home. I don't even want to think about how we'd all fit in this-aah!" The blonde-haired mother let out a yelp as Mickey ran towards her, scooping her up in his arms and giving her a massive arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he shouted.

"I didn't say she could stay yet!" Alice reminded, letting out a huff as she straightened out her clothes once she was back on the ground. "Just know this Mickey Andrews: I will not raise two pregnant teenagers in my house. I saw you sneak Cheryl into your house after Polly's baby shower," she revealed "but I don't see a reason to tell your father. So long as you keep it in your pants."

Mickey's face turned bright red. "Yes, Mrs. Cooper."

* * *

"How long have you known?"

Josie walked side-by-side with Reggie as they made their way to his car, raising an eyebrow at his sudden question. "Known what?"

"About Cheryl. That her mom was hitting her," Reggie elaborated, careful not to upset her "You said you had known for years. How long?"

"Do you remember when we were in the seventh grade and Mickey left Cheryl a letter asking her to meet him a Pop's for Valentine's Day?"

Reggie nodded. "She never made it because Nana Rose fell down the stairs."

"She didn't fall, Reggie. She was pushed," Josie corrected "And it was my fault. I convinced Cheryl to take some of Penelope's jewelry for the date," she explained in a guilt-ridden tone "When she heard her mom coming, Cheryl hid me in Penelope's closet. I didn't know why until I heard Penelope start slapping her daughter. Nana Rose was there to help take care of Jason, he had caught the flu playing ice hockey with his friends. When she heard Cheryl screaming, she tried to stop Penelope."

"And then Penelope pushed her down the stairs," Reggie finished.

"She lost her legs and an eye. Because of me."

"Josie." Reggie placed a gentle hand on the side of her face, the self-loathing in her eyes twisting his stomach in knots "You know that's not true. You didn't know what Penelope was going to do to Cheryl. Or Nana Rose."

"I should've done more. I should've convinced her to go the police. I should've asked Jason to go with her."

"You did everything you could. You patched her up and you got enough evidence to make this a slam dunk case. And together, we can make sure Cheryl is safe," Reggie promised.

Josie felt a wave of fear run down her spine as she asked. "What if we can't?"

* * *

Jughead Jones needed a drink. He had never touched a drop of alcohol a day in life but today, he was seriously tempted. His father was facing life in prison. His mother and his little sister wanted nothing to do with him. And now the system wanted to tear him away from the only people left who actually cared about him. Which was why he was walking alone through Sunnyside trailer park, hoping that Sheriff Keller and his men hadn't taken FP's booze when they raided his home.

The Southside native came to a stop as his childhood home came into view, where the door was wide open. Curious, the dark-haired boy tentatively walked into the trailer, where he found a group of teens in Southside Serpent jackets. There were three of them, two boys and a girl, their backs to Jughead as they went about their business, cleaning up the mess the police had made.

"Hey," Jughead said in his best intimidating voice.

The girl, a petite young woman with pink-dyed hair, was the first to speak as the three young Serpents turned around. "Forsythe Pendleton Jones III."

"It's Jughead," he corrected, cringing at the sound of his full name. The aspiring novelist felt his eyebrows knit together as he stared at the Serpents, an old and hazy memory slowly coming to mind. "I know you."

"You used to," the girl confirmed "before your parents sent you to school on the northside. I'm Toni. This is Sweet Pea and Fangs," she introduced "We were just making sure your dad's place wasn't a mess when he gets out."

"If he gets out," Jughead corrected, oblivious to the pained expressions on the Serpents' faces "So is this part of the Serpent's initiation? Cleaning up the boss' trailer?"

"We're Serpents, not maids," Toni corrected "We were just doing something nice to FP."

"Why?"

Toni starred into Jughead's eyes, the bluish-green irises full of doubt and suspicion. He really had no idea. The pink-haired girl reached into her bag and pulled out an old yet carefully preserved camera.

"This was my mother's. She sold it when I was little to make the rent. But FP tracked it down and gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. When Sweet Pea turned sixteen, FP took him to a basketball game in the city. He said he was going to take Fangs camping at Letchworth park, like he did with Joaquin. But then the whole Jason Blossom mess happened. I know that you and your dad don't really get along," Toni acknowledged "but part of the reason FP wasn't there for you and your sister the way he wanted to be was because he was trying to take care of us."

"Oh God." Jughead's eyes widened in disbelief as he pulled the beanie off his head, finally realizing what had driven his mother to Toledo.

Toni's eyes widened as she watched Jughead collapse on the couch and pick up a half-empty whiskey bottle off the floor, snatching it from his hands as he tried to take a sip. "What are you doing?"

"I need a drink."

"No you don't," Toni protested, fully aware of the Jones family weakness for alcohol.

"Look, I appreciate you guys trying to clean up," Jughead snapped "but I'm really not in the mood for a heart-to-heart with my father's secret Serpent bastards right now."

"Wait you think that we're-?"

Sweet Pea laughed. "You wish, Jones."

"FP is not our father," Toni assured Jughead, sitting down next to him on the couch "He's just closest thing any of us have had to one."

"Why?" Jughead repeated "My dad could barely stay sober long enough to be there for his own kids. Why would he care about you guys?"

"Our parents grew up together," Fangs explained "joined the Serpents together."

"And your dad is the only one who isn't locked up or dead," Toni chimed in "So, he looked out for us. Protected us. Did everything he could to make sure we didn't feel like total orphans."

Jughead was amazed. He had only ever known FP as a deadbeat drunk, but these kids talked about him like he was father of the year.

"Here." Toni reached into her bag and pulled out a worn black leather jacket with a familiar patch on the back "You're going to need this when you start at Southside High."

"I'm not a Serpent."

"Maybe not, but we all promised FP we would protect you until he comes home," Toni revealed "and that's what we're going to do."

* * *

"I should've known." Veronica walked side by side with Archie into the Pembrooke, a deeply remorseful look in the raven-haired princess' face. "I spent a weekend in Thornhill. I watched Cheryl shrink into herself everytime her mother walked in the room. I should've known Penelope was hitting her."

"This isn't your fault, Ronnie."

"Cheryl's my friend, Archie. She's my friend and she's been hurting this entire time and I didn't even see it. Why didn't I see it?"

"Because she's been hiding it her entire life. I should've know something was wrong," Archie confessed "after Mickey let Cheryl sleep in the attic. He didn't sleep for a week after that. But all I saw was my brother wanting to spend time with his girlfriend. Cheryl and Jason had us all fooled. But now, we have a chance to help."

Veronica stared at her boyfriend in amazement. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Keep hoping. No matter how dark things get you always see the silver lining. How?"

"Because of you," Archie answered "You lost everything when you left New York. Your home, your friends, your father. And instead of wallowing in self-pity, you saw moving to Riverdale as a way to be a better person."

Veronica felt her heart raced as he looked at with eyes fulled with adoration, leaning in and giving him a quick fiery kiss. "You are on your way to be the greatest boyfriend ever, Archiekins," she whispered.

"Does that mean I can walk you to school tomorrow?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"I'll be here at seven thirty."

"I'll be waiting." Veronica smiled as she walked into her apartment, where Hermione was waiting for her in the living room.

"So _mija,_ did you talk to Archie about the SoDale shares?" she asked.

"Yes I did."

Hermione became impatient as Veronica became quiet. "And?"

"And we decided to keep our relationship and our family drama separate," Veronica announced "So if you want to convince Fred and Mickey to sell them your shares, you can do it yourself."

"Veronica-,"

"I don't want to hear it Mom," Veronica snapped, still unnerved from learning the truth about Cheryl "I am not going to let you and Daddy turn what Archie and I have into some weapon in this family feud. What Archie and I have real, pure and good. And if you love me, you will respect that." And without another word, she marched into her room and slammed the door.

* * *

"What if I don't come back?"

Betty Cooper stood in her room with Polly late that night, getting ready to summon Elizabeth. The door was locked. Alice and Hal were asleep. And Polly was hooking up her phone to a tripod stand to record the whole thing.

"What do you mean?" Polly asked, making sure to keep the entire room in the frame.

"Elizabeth was in control for hours last night. What if this time...she stays in control?"

"Betty," Polly gave her sister a protective look "That will never happen."

"How do you know?"

"Because I won't let it happen. When Elizabeth comes out, I will be there to bring you back. No what happens," she promised "I will be there to bring you back."

Betty smiled, grateful to have her sister back at her side. "I missed you, Polly."

"I missed you too. Now, are you ready?"

Betty nodded, her heart racing as she balled her hands into fists, her nails quickly finding their place in the grooves of the cuts in her palms. Betty hissed as she applied the briefest bit of pressure, a jolt of pain shooting up both her arms. She wondered how many times she felt that pain, but never noticed it. Having come too far to turn back now, Betty ignored the pain and pushed through it, digging her nails deeper and deeper until she drew blood and her vision blurred.

"Betty!" Polly ran across the room as her little sister's eyes the back of head, catching her just before she collapsed. "Betty?"

"Guess again."

Polly felt a chill run down her spine as her sister opened her eyes, the green orbs filled with a swirling darkness. It was her. Elizabeth.

"I've got to admit Poll, I'm impressed," Elizabeth praised, standing up as she undid the bun in her hair, running her fingers through her blonde locks as they tumbled down her shoulders "out of all the people in my life, you were the only one who figured out how to bring me out of little miss perfect."

She held her head higher than Betty. Her smile more mischievous and mysterious. Her voice proud and sultry.

"We need to talk," Polly told her.

"You don't have to explain your little therapy session to me, Poll. I know what's going on. I see what Betty sees," Elizabeth revealed "I hear what she hears. Ask me anything you want," she offered "The longer you and I play nice, the longer I get to be in control."

"Okay," Polly paused, surprised by the compliance of her sister's alter "You chose the name Elizabeth. Why?"

"Elizabeth is the name of a powerful queen. That's what I want to be."

"Interesting, " Polly commented "because when Betty hears the name Elizabeth, she thinks about Mom yelling at her when she's in trouble."

"So what? A queen can't be naughty?" Elizabeth asked with a chuckle. "Queens make rules, Polly. They don't follow them."

"Let's move on," Polly decided "Why did you tear your room apart last night? Steal a bottle of gin from Dad's liquor cabinet?"

"I was trying to figure out my look. And I took the gin because I was thirsty,"Elizabeth added shamelessly.

"You separated the pink clothes from everything else. Did you want to get rid of them?"

"Pink's my favorite color."

"Really?" Polly was surprised "Isn't it a little to goody-goody for an unapologetic, slightly naughty queen?"

"Only when you the same shades as a six year-old's playroom. But pink can be sexy," Elizabeth assured "when it's bold and daring."

"Like this?" Polly asked, holding up the hot pink lipstick "When did you buy this, Elizabeth?"

"I didn't. It was a gift. From a distant relative."

"The same relative who gave you this?"

Elizabeth scowled as Polly pulled out a familiar black wig. "I bought that at _Spencer's_. When I was still...discovering myself."

"You're the one that nearly drowned Chuck Clayton," Polly realized "Why why did you think you were me?"

"You inspired my creation, Polly. You and Veronica."

 _That explains the black wig,_ Polly thought.

"You can get rid of that wig if you want," Elizabeth permitted with a shrug "I'm done trying to be like Veronica. She took the one thing I want most."

"Archie."

"I love him, Polly. I'm in love with him," Elizabeth insisted, with a hint of Betty creeping into her voice.

"What about Jughead?"

"Jughead." Elizabeth laughed "Jughead Jones is comfort food. Something to distract Betty from she really wants but is too afraid to chase after. That's why she created me," she explained "To help her claim all of her darkest desires without fear of judgement or consequences."

"And just what is it that you want?" Polly asked "Besides Archie."

"I already told you, I want to be queen," Elizabeth repeated "The queen of Riverdale High. I thought Veronica was going to help me, that we could rule together. Until she stabbed me in the back."

"Veronica never meant to hurt you."

"She lied to me! She promised she would stay away from Archie and she stole him the second my back was turned." Elizabeth closed her eyes as she took a calming breath, knowing what Betty would do if she slandered her so-called best friend for too long. "Forget Veronica. I've found a new mentor."

"Who?"

"The one gave me my new favorite lipstick," Elizabeth answered "The who told me pink could be sexy. If anyone can help me become a queen bee and get Archie, it's her."

"Say you finish this mean girl transformation," Polly granted "Do you think it'll make Archie leave Veronica?"

"Archie doesn't love Veronica, he loves me! _He_ loves _me,_ " Elizabeth repeated with a snarl "We are meant to be together. We're the same. Twin flames," she insisted "There's a darkness in Archie. Just like there's a darkness in me."

She wasn't wrong. Archie looked ready to kill Chuck Clayton at Jughead's birthday party after he insulted Betty.

"He just needs someone to help bring it out of him."

Polly's eyes widened as her sister made a run for the door. "Where are you going?"

"To make Archie mine."

"Betty-,"

"Betty's not here!" Elizabeth snapped, causing Polly to jump "Betty is timid, submissive and _weak._ My name is Elizabeth. And I'm not going let the thing I've wanted most since I was eight years old slip through my fingers. Archie dreams about me. It took less than five minutes for me to have him wrapped around my finger at Jughead's party. One kiss and he will be mine. Forev-," The blonde-haired girl's voice trailed off as her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she unclenched her fists, her fingertips dipped in blood as she knees started to buckle.

"Betty. Betty." Polly hurried to her sister's side and caught her she started to fall, holding her trembling body close, the darkness in her eyes replaced with confusion and terror. "You're back Betty," Polly whispered, gently stroking her little sister's face as she started to sob "You're back."

* * *

Veronica walked silently to her locker at school the next morning, where she found an unexpected face waiting for her. "Cheryl? What are you doing here?"

The gothic heroine forced a smile as she turned to face her friend, her eyes empty and hollow inside. "I needed to talk to you. I'm stepping down from the Rivervixens," she announced "And I want you to take my place as captain."

"What?"

"I also want you to have this." Cheryl added, reaching into her purse and pulling out a familiar HBIC t-shirt. "These last few days...they've put things in perspective," she explained, noticing the look on Veronica's face.

"I, understand. Cherry?" The New York native felt her mind go blank as the scarlet-haired bombshell attempted to walk away. She wanted to hug Cheryl. To tell her that she knew about the abuse. That they working on a way to protect her. But she couldn't. Veronica and her friends promised not to tell Cheryl what they were up to until all of the Coopers agreed to take Cheryl in. Mickey and Josie didn't want to give false hope.

"Do you want to have a sleepover at my house?" Veronica offered "I could use some company with my father on his way home from jail. And it could be good for you too."

"I have to help take care of my Nana," Cheryl politely declined "She's been...upset ever since my father…,"

"I understand. But if you personally need anything-,"

"Veronica. I'm fine," Cheryl assured with a thin smile as she headed off to class "I'm done shedding tears for the Blossom men."

* * *

"Dissociative what?"

"Dissociative identity disorder," Betty repeated. The girl next door sat with her sister and Archie in the cafeteria, sharing lunch as they discussed Polly's first session with Elizabeth. "It's the new name for multiple personality disorder."

Archie knew what that meant. "So when asked me to call you Elizabeth at Jughead's birthday party, that was-?"

"My...alter," Betty confirmed, still getting used to the term "I guess you could say she's my inner mean girl. The part of me that wants to be more like Veronica."

Archie tilted his head. "Betty, you're one of best people I know. Why would you want to be someone else?"

"The first day of school, Veronica stood up to Cheryl for me. Forced her to let us both onto the Rivervixens. After Chuck posted that stupid sticky maple photo online, Veronica marched into the boys locker room and demanded that he take it down. She was ready to go to war, and all I wanted to do was tell a teacher. Veronica taught me to be brave and confident."

"You're brave too," Archie insisted gently "Betty, you solved a murder investigation. You asked the hard questions and you didn't let anyone stop you from getting to the truth. That makes you pretty fearless in my book."

Betty smiled at her best friend's unwavering support.

"So is there anything I should look out for?" he asked "in case Elizabeth takes over outside of your sessions?"

"Curly hair, pink lipstick," Betty listed off "pink clothes."

"Betty, half your clothes are pink."

"Not like these." The blonde-haired girl nervously reached into her backpack and pulled out some of the magazines from the night before, allowing Archie to look over the clothes and hairstyles that Elizabeth had selected.

Archie felt a wave guilt wash over him as he flipped through the hair magazine. "Why do think Elizabeth wants to do her hair like this?"

"Before she got really sick, Grandma Barnes used to do our hair when she was babysitting," Polly explained "Betty always wanted curls, but Mom thought it looked too mature."

Betty started to squirm as Archie looked back and forth from her and the fashion magazines. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Because I can't see you wearing anything like this. This isn't you," he insisted, showing the Cooper girls a picture of a form-fitting black dress "This is-,"

"Veronica?" Betty finished "Girls that wear things like this, they're sexy. Veronica is sexy. Whether she's in a new dress or covered in sweat after cheer practice. And I know that I'm pretty," she confirmed "that I'm cute. But I've never felt sexy. Perfect girls aren't supposed to be sexy. They don't date guys their parents don't approve of. Or talk back. Or sneak into a nightclub with their friends. Sometimes I feel like, like Betty is who everyone else wants me to be," she explained "not the real me."

"Betty, if I ever made you feel like you had change to make me happy, I'm sorry," Archie apologized "When I called you perfect, it wasn't because you get straight As, or never miss curfew. You're perfect to me because when the people you care about are at their lowest point, you make them feel like they're the most important person in the world. And that's not going to change if you cut class or sneak out of the house to go to a party every once in a while. That's why I said I couldn't be with you after the Back-To-School dance," he explained "Because you deserve someone who can make you feel as special as you make the people around you feel. And I just didn't think I could do that for you."

Betty felt her nails scratch at the bandages on her hands at the look on Archie's face. _You can do it Arch,_ she thought _You're doing it right now._

"But if you think spicing things up is going to help you be happy, I think I know someone who can help with that. Ronnie!" Archie shouted.

Betty's eyes widened with embarrassment as her best friend turned around at the sound of her name, getting up from her seat next to Jughead and making her way across the lunch room. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you the chance to walk on the wild side. Betty wants you to give her a makeover," Archie told Veronica.

The New York native's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, yes! I am beyond ready for a some teenage normalcy. Let me see your ideas," she requested, grabbing the magazines before Betty could pull them away "Love it, love it, this would look so good on you," she commented, flipping through the pages "Love it, I think I have this skirt in my closet. You would look so hot with these curls and what is this lipstick? It would look so perfect on you."

"Bubblegum baby," Betty answered, realizing it was too late to talk her best friend out of it now "It's _Dior._ "

" _Dior?_ Did you get it from Cheryl?"

"Cheryl?"

Veronica nodded. "They're the ones who make her Maple Red. It's pretty much all she wears."

Betty's eyes widened as a forgotten memory suddenly appeared in her mind. "Yeah. She gave it to me after we went to the spa, the day after they found Jason Blossom's body. She called it the sexy side of pink." It all made sense. The obsession with a signature color, the thigh-high boots circled in the magazines, the makeup that made her lips look like candy. Cheryl was Elizabeth's new inspiration. Elizabeth wanted to go to war with Veronica, to wrap Archie around her finger. And who better to help her than Riverdale's HBIC, the girl who stole Mickey's heart at the same time Archie stole Betty's?

"B?" Veronica became concerned at the look on her best friend's face "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, quickly forcing a smile "I'm just, worried about Cheryl."

"So am I. Guys, she made me captain of the Rivervixens," Veronica revealed. "Cheryl loves cheerleading, why would she quit?"

"Who quit?" Mickey asked, the blue-eyed twin wearing a green and black flannel shirt with black jeans and sneakers as he sat down to join his friends for lunch.

"Cheryl made me cheer captain this morning. And she gave Jughead her beloved spider brooch," Veronica added.

That didn't sound like Cheryl. "Maybe it's atonement?" he theorized "Her family tried to send your dad to prison and she smacked Jughead around after FP was arrested. Maybe she just feels guilty."

"Something's wrong, guys. I can feel it," Veronica insisted "I asked her to spend the weekend with me. Give her a chance to breathe easy away from her mom."

"You didn't tell her about the Coopers, did you?" Mickey asked worriedly.

"Of course not. We agreed we wouldn't say anything until Hal agreed to let her move in."

"That might be a little harder than we thought," Polly warned "Our parents were fighting about this all night. Dad was raised to hate the Blossoms and he was barely on board with letting me keep the twins in the house. Mom wants to help," she assured "but our house already going to be crowded with a pair of babies. Not mention another teenager and a wheelchair-bound grandma."

"Foster parents get financial support from the government. I'll have my mom sent me an estimate on how much," Mickey promised, pulling out a large stack of papers from his backpack "And I'm already working on the space problem."

"What are those?" Archie asked.

"The blueprints to my house," Polly answered "Mickey asked for them last night. I gave them to him on the way to school."

"I wanted to see if there were any walls we could knock down to make room for Cheryl and Nana Rose," Mickey explained "Haven't found any yet. But the Coopers' attic is twice the size of ours. We could turn it into a mini apartment for Polly and the twins," he theorized "if we move everything that's up there to the garage or build a shed in the backyard. Nana Rose needs to be on the main floor of the house, so she could move into your parents' office and they could move the office into Polly's room. Which leaves Cheryl sharing a room with-,"

"Me," Betty finished "wonderful."

"I know that you two don't always get along, but trust me, under the whole HBIC tough skin, Cheryl's a big marshmallow."

Betty scoffed. "Maybe when she's around her Teddy Bear."

"Guys." All eyes turned to Kevin Keller marched in, a panicked look on his face. "You need to see this."

The teenagers followed the sheriff's son into the hall, where a group of kids were surrounding Betty's locker. It was covered in copies of her latest article, defending FP and the Southside Serpents, the words " _Southside Serpent Slut"_ written over them in what looked like blood.

"Dude." All eyes turned to Reggie Mantle as he walked over with Josie, slightly impressed with the skill it took to pull a prank like that and get away unseen "That is sick."

"You," Jughead looked ready to tear the varsity captain apart "You did this."

"Did what?" Before Reggie could even attempt to respond, Jughead forced his way through the crowd and punched him in the face.

* * *

"It wasn't me." Reggie sat with Mickey, Polly and Josie in his living room after school, holding an ice pack to his cheek. Reggie had to give the Jones kid credit. Jughead could throw a punch. "Yeah, I hate the Southside Serpents and Betty's article ticked me off. But I wouldn't trash her locker."

"We know Reg," Mickey assured him.

"Try telling that to Principal Weatherby." Thanks to Jughead, the head of Riverdale High was all but convinced that Reggie was responsible.

Fortunately, Mickey bought his best friend three days to find the real culprit. Or Reggie would be suspended. "People don't trash lockers just because they disagree with a news article. This was personal."

"It could be someone from the West Side," Josie theorized "The Serpents have been hitting homes over there since the Blossoms shut down their maple factory."

"Thirty percent of the kids at school come from West Side," Polly reminded "We need to narrow it down or we're going to be looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Slut." Mickey felt his hands ball into fists as he explained "Whoever trashed Betty's locker called her a Southside slut."

Reggie shrugged. "So?"

"So I can only think of one person with a score to settle with Betty and a habit of calling girls sluts."

* * *

Toni Topaz walked over to FP's trailer later that night, where she found Jughead Jones waiting for her inside. She had left a note with her phone number in the pocket of the leather jacket for him, just in case he needed to contact her. "Wasn't sure you'd call."

"Wasn't sure you'd come," Jughead commented, pulling a copy of the Blue & Gold out his backpack.

Toni's eyes widened slightly as she read the front page headline: _FP Jones Innocent, Serpents Slandered._ "You wrote that?"

"My girlfriend. Someone read it and left a message on her locker. Written in fake blood."

"You want us to keep an eye on her?"

"I want to know if she stuck her neck out for nothing," Jughead corrected "A classmate of mine claims his big brother was attacked by the Serpents. Said they had Nazi tattoos. You know anything about that?"

Toni sighed. "Tall Boy."

"Who?"

"He's one of the Serpents' senior members. Back in the day, he was sent to prison down in Louisiana," Toni explained "We didn't have any Serpent charters down there, so he made friends with these guys who used to ride with a white supremacist club. When they all got out, Tall Boy vouched for them to join the Serpents, said they were done with all that white power B.S. And they were. When they were sober."

Jughead felt sick to his stomach. "My father let racists into his gang?"

"FP wasn't in charge back then. And when he found out, he kicked those guys out of the Serpents and he's watched Tall Boy like a hawk ever since."

"He should've served them all to the cops on a plate."

"Hey, I'm black and Native American. Do you really think I'd join the Serpents if I thought they were a bunch of racists?" she asked "Despite what the Northsiders say, not everyone on the Southside is a monster."

"Pickens Park." Jughead felt his jaw clench up as he explained "You said we used to play together as kids. Our parents used to take us to Pickens Park, right?"

"Yeah," Toni confirmed, touched that he remembered "We still went there after you started going to school on Northside."

"I remember. I also remember that after I made friends on the Northside, there were these kids from the Southside who tried to beat me up everytime I went back to that park. I guessing that was you," Jughead accused "and your friends Sweet Pea and Fangs, right?"

"Wow." Toni shook her head as she gave him a deeply disappointed look "Those Northsiders really did a number on you. We never tried to hurt you, Jones. We were asking you to play with us. But every time your Northsider buddies saw us, they picked a fight. After that carrot-top knocked out half of Sweet Pea's baby teeth, we figured it was best to just leave you alone." Toni's eyes burned with pain and betrayal "Because no matter how hard we fought you, you always chose the Northsiders."

"If I'm such a turncoat, why'd you promise my dad you'd protect me?" he questioned "Why'd you come here tonight?"

"I came here because I missed my friend. But it looks to me like he's long gone."

Jughead sighed as Toni marched out of the trailer, blinked slowly as a wave guilt washed over him. He hated the Northsiders for looking at him like he was some thug, and he was doing the same thing to her. "Wait." The dark-haired boy called as he chased after her "Wait!"

"Why?" Toni snapped as she turned around "So you can dump on me like your Northsider buddies?"

"I can count one hand the number of real friends I have on the Northside. And both of them have had more faith in my old man than I ever had. Look, I'm sorry," Jughead apologized "It's just...the FP Jones you talked about, the one who took you to basketball games and camping trips and tracked down old family cameras, I don't remember that guy. I don't know that guy. The FP Jones I know could barely spend five sober minutes with his family. And that was assuming he wasn't running from the cops or overseas. And maybe I'm being selfish," he acknowledged "but it kills me that he was better father to you than he ever was to me."

"You hate him." Toni wasn't even surprised "He wanted you to hate him."

"Why would a father want his son to hate him?"

"Because he doesn't want to hold you back. FP never wanted to be a Serpent," Toni revealed "he wanted to go to college on a football scholarship, build a life outside of the Southside. But your grandfather wouldn't let him. Your dad joined the military because he found out your mom was pregnant with you. He thought it would give him a chance to make an honest living, and make his son proud. But all being in Iraq did was leave him with ghosts that followed him everywhere but the bottom of a bottle."

"I didn't know that."

"Because he didn't want you to. FP's father was an anchor," Toni described "who dragged him down his entire life. He didn't want do the same thing to you so, he let you build a life on the Northside. Even if it meant you'd have to leave him behind."

"And here I thought he was trying to leave me behind." Jughead sighed as he sat down on the steps in front of his trailer, causing Toni to do the same. Even though he could barely remember her, opening up to the pink-haired Serpent felt right. "Were we close before?"

"Thick as thieves. I even had my own little nickname for you: FP3. Thought Jughead was lousy nickname. Still do. I remember when you found out your mom was having Jellybean, you were so excited," Toni let out a faint chuckle as she recalled "You asked me if you could have one of my baby dolls so you could practice changing diapers."

"Really?" Jughead almost laughed "Did you give it to me?"

"I did. After you traded me your Batmobile for it."

"My Bat-?" Jughead's eyes widened as Toni laughed "You stole my Batmobile?"

"I didn't steal it, you gave it to me."

"Yeah? Well I want it back."

"Fine. Soon as I get my babydoll back," Toni stipulated.

"I think I gave it to Jellybean."

"Then I'm keeping the Batmobile." The pink-haired Serpent smiled fondly as she and Jughead shared a laughed "I missed you."

"Yeah? I'm starting to think I missed you too," Jughead confessed "What about the others? Fangs and Sweet Pea, did I get along with them too?"

"You could ask them yourself. I'm supposed to meet them at the White Wyrn pretty soon. Want to come? You can help figure out how to bust your dad out of jail in case the judge throws the book at him."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Maybe," Toni said with a teasing smile as she rose to her feet "So you coming or what?"

Jughead sighed as he started into the young Serpent's eyes, a familiar yet unidentifiable light in her dark brown orbs as he stood up. "The Wyrm better have good burgers."

* * *

Mickey marched into Pop's diner along with Reggie, Polly and Josie that evening, spotting a familiar face sitting in a booth alone, with a half-eaten burger and a book. "Clayton."

The former leader of the Bulldogs looked up from his food at the sound of the blue-eyed twin called out to him, his body going rigid as Mickey and Reggie grabbed him and pinned him against the wall. "Hey, what is your problem?" Chuck demanded.

"I don't know what makes me more sick," Mickey confessed "The slut-shaming bull you left on Betty's locker or the fact that you wrote it in fake blood."

"Wait, you think I?- I didn't do anything to Betty's locker," Chuck protested "That's not me anymore."

"Betty got you kicked off the football team after she outed your slut-shaming scorebook," Polly reminded "and then you tried to humiliate her at Jughead's party."

"After you tried to attack Josie," Reggie added with a snarl.

"He attacked-?" Mickey's eyes widened "Oh, now you're really in for it."

"Yes, I did all that stuff, but I didn't trash Betty's locker," Chuck repeated "I'm different now."

"Give us one reason why we should believe you," Josie challenged.

"I found God."

Reggie scoffed. "Give me a break!"

"It's true. Look, after Jughead's party, my parents dragged my behind to church," Chuck explained "I've been going every Sunday ever since. I've changed, I swear."

Mickey felt his grip on Chuck's shirt loosen as he listened to the former football player's words, the sincerity of his voice reminding Mickey of how religion helped him conquer his own demons. "Where were you when Betty's locker was trashed?"

"In Weatherby's office. But not because I was in trouble," Chuck assured "I asking him to let me start a Bible study group at school."

"Yeah right. The rest of the school might buy the 'born-again Chuck' act," Reggie mocked "But not us."

"Wait." Mickey placed a warning arm across his best friend's chest as he finally noticed the book Chuck was reading. A King James Bible. "Let him go, Reg."

"Dude."

"We can check with Weatherby to confirm Clayton's story. If he's telling the truth, the last you need is to get into a fight."

"And if he's lying?"

Mickey gave Chuck a warning glare. "Then he better pray his parents find him before we do."

* * *

"What's this for?"

Betty stood in her room with Polly early that morning, the leader of the Blue & Gold staring curiously at the gift in her hands, a hot pink leather diary with a tiny gold padlock.

"I was doing some more research last night and I read that some D.I.D. patients use journals to communicate with their alters," Polly explained "this way, you can find out what Elizabeth is up to the next time she comes out."

Betty resisted the urge to ball her fists at the mention of her alter, tossing the diary into the wastebasket next to her desk. "Pass."

"Betty, I know you're scared," Polly acknowledged, pulling the diary out of the trash "but you and Elizabeth have to figure out a way to coexist-,"

The high school reporter felt her heart rate speed up as her nails scraped against the bandages on her palms. "Don't say her name, Polly."

"Betty."

"Don't." The youngest Cooper sister gave her sibling a haunted look "Don't say her name. I couldn't sleep at all last night. Do you know why? Because ever since I found out about my alter, I can feel her inside me. Fighting, clawing to break free," she described "so she can erase me and take over my life. I'm not scared, Polly. I'm terrified."

"Betty, I know this is a lot. But Elizab-," the expecting mother quickly cut herself off as her little sister started to flinch "your alter isn't trying to replace you. She's here to protect you. But if you keep trying to fight this and keep her buried inside you, things are only going to get worse."

"How am I supposed to live like this? How am I supposed to let share a room with Cheryl knowing my alter wants to imitate her? How am I to be friends with Veronica knowing my alter hates her? How am I supposed to be around Archie when we-?" Betty quickly stopped herself from going any further, her nails scratching against her bandages.

"You've been doing that a lot," Polly noticed "You know, we've talked about your alter's feelings for Archie."

Betty said nothing, her stomach twisting up in knots as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "Ever since I started dating Jughead, Archie's been...distant," she described "Like he doesn't know how to be around the two of us anymore. And when it's just the two us, I can tell something's changed between Archie and me. We keep having these...moments."

"What kind of moments?"

"The kind that make me afraid to be alone with him. The night we found the video of Clifford Blossom killing Jason, Archie tried to say goodbye to me, in case his mom won the custody case and he had to move to Chicago. He was so scared Polly. He looked like, a little boy," Betty described "trapped in his worst nightmare. So I hugged him, and I promised him that we would all find a way to stay in each other's lives. I don't remember when we fell asleep on the couch. But when we woke up, we were still in each other's arms. Jughead looked at us like we were naked in bed." Betty's eyes filled with tears as the guilt became overwhelming "Elizabeth isn't the only one with feelings for Archie. But I can control my feelings. I can't control my alter's. If she tries to give us what we both want, I could lose three of the best friends I have ever had. I have to get rid of her Polly," she insisted in a terrified voice "Please help me get rid of her."

Polly said nothing, her stomach twisting up in knots at the look on Betty's face. She wasn't a real therapist. And even if she was, dissolving an alter was next to impossible.

"Girls?" The young sister jumped as Alice Cooper poked her head through the door, a concerned look spreading across her face when she noticed Betty was crying. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," Betty lied, as she quickly wiped away her tears "We were just...talking about Cheryl. I can't imagine what she's been through."

"Speaking of Cheryl, she dropped these off for you two," Alice announced, walking in with a box full of books "She said they were Jason's."

Polly felt the familiar sting of heartache as she rummaged through the box, her voice starting to tremble when she found a hardcover copy of _The Three Musketeers._ "This was his favorite. We used to take turns reading it to the babies."

Alice wrapped her arms around her oldest daughter as she became lost in her grief, holding the expecting mother close as she took a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry Polly," Alice told her "For everything. For sending you to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, for trying to separate you from your babies, for being so hard on you girls for all these years. It's just," the blonde mother felt a lump form in her throat as she explained "I wanted to keep you from making the same mistakes that my mother did. That I did."

"What mistakes?" Betty asked.

* * *

"You have a brother?"

Mickey sat with his friends in the Student Lounge later that day, wearing his brown leather jacket over a warm blue Riverdale High hoodie, dark jeans and boots, his eyes wide from the Coopers' recent revelation.

Polly nodded. "Mom got pregnant when she was our age. She went to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and gave her son up for adoption."

"How positively Dickensian," Veronica exclaimed "I adore a long-lost sibling story. No doubt your mystery brother a blonde Adonis."

"Should I be jealous?" Archie asked in a teasing tone.

"Oh my God," Betty's eyes widened as she read a jaw-dropping text "Jughead's at Southside High."

"What?"

"He transferred early. He said he doesn't want to fight the change anymore."

Archie's heart started racing. FP warned him about this. He told Archie that Jughead would try to cut himself off.

"Go," Mickey told his brother, recognizing the look on the brown-eyed twin's face "We'll cover for you."

As Betty, Archie and Veronica took off, Polly gave her best friend a glance. "You don't want go with them?"

"Jughead's the Southside Serpent prince in a school full of Southside Serpents. He'll be fine," Mickey assured "Archie and the others just need to see it for themselves. Besides, we still need to figure out who trashed Betty's locker."

"It wasn't Clayton. Mick and I checked with Weatherby on the way here," Reggie informed "he was in Weatherby's office for half the period pitching his bible study club."

"Then we better figure out who did do it before my man is suspended." Josie blinked as her friends all stared at her "What?"

"You just called me your man," Reggie answered puffing out his chest.

"Shut up."

"Maybe we made the attack too personal," Polly theorized "We thought it was Chuck because he hated Betty. But what if whoever did this did it because they hated the article?"

"The day before Betty published the article, Reggie called the Serpents Neo-Nazis," Mickey remembered.

"So?"

"So when I was in Chicago, a white cop killed a black accountant who was speeding on his way home from work. Two days later, there was a riot in Oakland. Whoever trashed Betty's locker felt the same way as those people in Oakland. So who would get that mad at about an article defending a biker gang with suspected Neo-Nazi ties in a town that was founded in the middle of World War Two?"

"A Jewish student," Polly answered "but I don't know any Jewish kids that go to Riverdale High."

"I do."

* * *

Archie, Betty and Veronica ran to Southside High as fast as they could, racing past every student and teacher as the three of them made a mad dash for the cafeteria, knowing that was where they favorite burger-devouring writer was most likely to be.

The brown-eyed twin came to a sudden stop as he stopped his best friend sitting in a table with two dark-haired boys and a pink-haired girl each of them wearing a Southside Serpent jacket, laughing like they were all lifelong friends.

It was enough of a sight to make Archie's head spin. "Jughead."

The aspiring novelist casually glanced over at his old friends. "What are you guys doing here?"

* * *

"Hey Midge. You got a minute?"

The short-haired girl turned around as she walked hand in hand with Moose in the halls, smiling at the sight of Mickey, Polly, Reggie and Josie. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"We wanted to talk to about what happened to Betty's locker yesterday," Josie answered nervously "We thought maybe you might know something that could help us find out who did it."

"Sorry guys. I was in health class when it happened."

"That's not what we want to talk about. We think whoever left that message on Betty's locker might be Jewish," Mickey explained "I remembered you mentioning going to Synagogue-,"

"And you thought what?" Midge asked "That I know every Jewish kid in town?"

Mickey's face turned pale as Moose gave him a protective glare. "Um…,"

"I'm kidding," Midge assured with a laugh "We live in a town with only one Synagogue. There's about twenty Jewish kids who go to school here."

"Can you think of any one of them that might leave that message on Betty's locker?" Mickey asked "Anyone with a personal grudge against the Serpents?"

"Just one."

* * *

"I didn't tell you I was transferring early, because I knew you would try to stop me. But, I am fine," Jughead assured "really."

The Southside native stood with his friends outside the front door of Southside High, trying to convince Archie and Betty not to drag him back to Riverdale High.

It wasn't going well. "Who were those kids you were with in the cafeteria?" Betty asked.

"That's Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea. They're my friends."

"Since when are you friends with the Southside Serpents?" Archie asked, staring at his best friend as if he had lost his mind.

"Since before I met any of you. But we lost touch when I transfered to the Northside. Their parents were my dad's original Serpent crew," Jughead explained "Joaquin too. And he's basically been playing surrogate father for them ever since they lost their real parents."

"That's why Joaquin helped him hide Jason Blossom's body."

Jughead nodded. "There's a whole side of my dad that I never knew about. Maybe the best part. And these guys might be the only way I can ever really know him. Plus, they're actually pretty cool," he said with an excited smile "Toni's really smart and wiz with a camera. Sweet Pea's the captain of the basketball team, but he's not a prick about it, you know? And Fangs is like this super-environmentalist. It's amazing all the stuff he knows."

As Jughead defended his new friends from his old ones, Toni Topaz watched from the steps of Southside High, holding an old photograph of her parents at the White Wyrm, along with their childhood friends: FP, Gladys, Fang's father Jose, Joaquin's mother Lucia, Sweet Pea's dad Pretty Ricky, and a blonde girl known only as Brass-Knuckles Barnes.

She was the first of them to become a Serpent. The one who taught them what it meant to wear the jacket. The best friend of Toni's mother, Vanessa. And judging by the way he talked about her, the first love of FP Jones' life.

He never said what happened to her, only that she left long before Toni or any of her friends had been born.

And Jughead's girlfriend was her spitting image.

* * *

Ethel Muggs sat in the library early that afternoon, casually reading when Mickey and Reggie walked in and sat down on either side of her.

"Hey guys," she greeted, frowning at the grim expressions on the boys' faces "What is it?"

"You trashed Betty's locker," Mickey accused.

Ethel laughed. "What? Why would I do that? Betty's my friend."

"Because she wrote an article defending the Southside Serpents," Mickey answered "The same gang that mugged your father when he was working at the Blossom's maple factory before it shut down."

"Some of the Serpents don't think Hitler was all that bad," Reggie commented "But your great-grandparents did. They moved halfway around the world to get away from him."

"My Mom calls that motive. And she calls you having a free period when Betty's locker was trashed opportunity," Mickey added "And thanks to Kevin, we know that you're the drama club's best special effects artist, which means you could mix up a batch of fake blood in your sleep. Put it all together, and you've a perfect prosecution strikeout."

Ethel's face quickly shifted from calm, to nervous, to defensive. "Do you really think Weatherby will believe any of this coming from the two of you?" she asked "The Mad Dog and Riverdale High's most infamous playboy?"

"Former playboy," Reggie corrected "And he may not believe us, but he will believe them."

As if on cue, Polly and Josie walked into the library, with Principal Weatherby by their side.

* * *

"Glad that's over."

Mickey sat with his friends at lunch, ready to put Ethel and her little stunt behind them.

"You're telling me," Polly agreed "the last thing Betty needs is more stress right now."

"What do you mean?"

The single mother became uneasy as her friends started to stare. "What happened with her and Chuck, I'm trying to figure out why she did it, why she can't remember."

"Any luck?"

"A little. But that's all I can say."

Mickey nodded, respecting the bond between Polly and her sister, when felt his phone go off in his pocket. It was a text. From Cheryl. Mickey hadn't said a word to her since he got back from Vancouver. How could he? His actions lead to Clifford Blossom committing suicide, condemning Cheryl to a life with Penelope. But he couldn't hide from her forever. So with a deep breath, he unlocked his phone and read the two sentence text. The first sentence gave him hope. The second sentence filled him with dread: _I love you. But I'm going to be with Jason now._

"Josie." Mickey's blood turned to ice as he glanced at the leader of the Pussycats, the look her face making it clear that he had gotten a similar text.

Reggie didn't know what was going on, but he knew it wasn't good. "What is it?"

"We need to get to Sweetwater River," Mickey ordered "Now."

* * *

"Cheryl! Cheryl!" Mickey's heart pounded against his chest as he lead his friends across the snowy shores of Sweetwater River, desperate for any sign of Cheryl Blossom. How did he not see it? Quitting the Rivervixens, giving away all her stuff, he should've seen it. But he was so blinded by guilt, he didn't realize he left the love of his life feeling isolated and alone during the worst week of her life. Thank God the river was frozen, it bought them some time. But if they didn't find her soon…

"Cheryl!" Mickey shouted louder.

"Dudes." Reggie drew their friends' attention to other side of the woods. "We got backup."

Mickey's eyes widened as he spotted his brother and his friends searching the opposite side of the forest, running over to them with Reggie, Polly and Josie right behind him. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Same as you," Veronica answered "trying to let keep Cheryl from shaking off her mortal coil. Please tell me you found her."

"No." Mickey was so worried he could barely see straight "Guys, we have to find her."

"Over there!" Betty's eyes widened as she pointed to the middle of the river, where a head of bright red hair could be seen in the frozen river.

"Cheryl!" Mickey ran to the edge of the river as fast he could, his fear quickly turning to dread as she came into view: She was wearing the same white outfit from the Fourth of July, punching her way through the ice with a rock. "Cheryl, don't do it!"

"Mick, stop!" Archie and Reggie grabbed Mickey by the arms, holding him back as he fought to run onto the ice. "The river isn't solid."

"He's right," Jughead agreed, tapping the ice with his foot and causing it to crack "Too much weight, and we could all go under."

But Mickey didn't care. "She's trying to kill herself! CHERYL!"

Cheryl silently turned around at the sound of his voice, an utterly hopeless and broken look spread across her face as she stood alone in the middle of the river.

Mickey wanted to run to her. To hug her. To tell her that he wasn't going anywhere and that he loved her. Instead, all he could do was watch as Cheryl fell through the ice as it cracked.

"NO!" Mickey broke through Archie and Reggie's grasp as he charged across the ice, praying over and her. "Don't let her die. Please God, don't let her die."

The blue-eyed twin came to a panicked stop as he reached the hole in the ice, looking for any sight of Cheryl beneath the surface. Nothing. He saw nothing. But he couldn't just let her die. Realizing there was no other way, Mickey glanced over his shoulder at Archie and their friends, right before he threw his jacket on the ice and jumped into the water.

* * *

"MICKEY!" Archie's heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he watched his brother dive under the frozen river, bolting across with his friends chasing behind him, the brown-eyed twin coming to a skidding halt as he finally reached the hole in the ice, looking for any sign of his brother or Cheryl, only to find nothing but a cold dark abyss.

"The current has them," Jughead told him "Everybody spread out and look!"

* * *

Cold. That was the first thing that came to mind once Mickey was underwater. Freezing, mind-numbing, blistering cold. It was so cold Mickey wanted to scream. _Focus,_ he thought _Cheryl. You have to find Cheryl._ The blue-eyed twin quickly steeled his nerves and began to swim with the current, spotting Cheryl drifting limply with the current.

* * *

 _Cheryl sat on the grassy shore of Sweetwater River, her clothes completely dry as she sat under a clear summer sky, her eyes widening in awe as she noticed a red-haired boy in white standing over her. "Jason?"_

" _Hey sis."_

* * *

Mickey quickly swam to Cheryl's side and took her in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth as he tried to see if she was conscious. She was out cold. He had to get her to the surface. But the current, it was taking everything he had just to keep from getting swept away with it. But if he couldn't go back...Mickey felt his heartrate speed up as he looked at the thick sheet of ice blocking his way to the surface. Time to put all those workouts with Reggie to good use.

* * *

" _It's so peaceful here." Cheryl smiled as she sat with her brother along the bank of Sweetwater River, watching the waves gently lap against the shores as the sun began to rise._

" _This is just the in-between," Jason told her "Everyone else in town, on the other side of the woods."_

" _Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Cheryl tilted her head at the conflicted look on her brother's face. "What is it?"_

" _You can't stay here, Cheryl."_

* * *

Archie's heart pounded against his chest as him and his friends searched for Mickey and Cheryl, looking for something, anything, that could tell them where they were. But there was nothing. Nothing. That's when he heard strange sound coming from below.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

Archie quickly fell to his knees and cleared away the snow from the ice, his eyes widening as he found Mickey trying to punch his way through the ice with one arm while holding Cheryl by the waist with the other.

"They're here!" Archie shouted. The brown-eyed twin raised his fist high and slammed it against the ice, ignoring the pain shooting through his arm as he repeated the action while Mickey did the same from below.

"Archie." Veronica cringed as her boyfriend continued to punch the ice, his hand quickly becoming covered with blood.

But he didn't care. Archie's heart was racing, his vision became blurred in a red haze. And nothing short of God himself would stop him from saving his brother. "Come on, Mick!" he shouted "Come on!"

Over and over, the brothers pounded on the ice from both sides, the impacts of their fists mimicking the beating hearts of everyone above and below the ice.

 _Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-CRACK!_

Archie dove his hand under the water as the ice finally broke, pulling his brother his girlfriend to the surface.

Mickey gasped for air as his head came above the water, tightening his grip on Cheryl as he lifted her up and handed her to Reggie and Jughead as he crawled onto the ice. "She's not breathing," he managed between ragged breaths "She's not breathing." The blue-eyed twin watched in agony as Reggie began performing CPR on Cheryl, desperately waiting for her to wake up.

* * *

" _I don't want to go back."_

" _It's not up to you Cheryl," Jason insisted, trying not to upset his sister anymore than he already had. "Or me. It isn't your time."_

" _I don't care. I want to stay here with you. Give me one reason why I shouldn't stay," she asked "So I can spend the rest of my life without you? So the town can gossip behind my back about how my father murdered my brother in cold blood? So I can spend the rest of life as my mother's punching bag?" Cheryl choked back a sob as she started to cry. "I don't want to live anymore, Jay-Jay. It's too hard. I'm all alone and it's just too hard."_

 _Jason gently wiped the tears from his sister's face. "You've been through more tragedy in these last six months than most people see in a lifetime. And I know that you want the pain to stop, but this isn't the answer. And you're not alone. Listen."_

"Rosie."

 _Cheryl's eyes widened as she heard a distant, familiar voice. "Mickey?"_

" _He's waiting for you. Over there." Jason smiled as he pointed across the river. "You have a new family now, Cheryl. One who will never hurt you like Mom hurt you or Dad hurt me."_

" _I don't want to lose you again."_

" _You won't. I'll always be with you," Jason promised "You're the strongest out of all us, Cheryl. That's why you're going to rewrite our family's legacy and show the world that the Blossoms can be a force for good."_

 _Cheryl smiled at her brother's unwavering support, throwing her hands around his neck and hugging him tight as the tears rained down her cheeks. "I love you, Jay-Jay."_

 _Jason placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "I love you too, sis."_

* * *

"Rosie, come back." Mickey sat less than a foot away from Cheryl on the ice, watching Reggie continue to give her CPR. She hadn't moved. "Come back," the blue-eyed twin repeated with a trembling voice "Come back, please."

Cheryl's eyes snapped open as she coughed up the remaining water in lungs, her heart racing as her vision started to clear.

Mickey felt his heart finally start to beat again as he took a breath, grateful to God beyond words that she was still alive.

* * *

Cheryl Blossom stared silently at the roaring flame in the fireplace in Thistlehouse, the words of her brother echoing in her mind.

" _Rewrite our family's history. Show the world that the Blossoms can be a force for good. You're the strongest out of all of us."_

"I brought you some hot chocolate." Veronica Lodge walked in from the kitchen with Polly, Betty and Josie behind her into the living room, smiling as she handed the red-headed girl a warm mug "with a hint of peppermint liquor."

"Thanks." Cheryl stayed silent as she took a long sip from her drink, the sweet, steamy liquid slowly warming her from the inside out.

"Are you hungry?" Betty asked nervously "Polly and I made some soup."

"I'd rather know why you're being so nice to me." She expected this kind of concern from Josie, Polly and Veronica. But not Betty.

"Cher," Josie felt her stomach twist up in knots as she revealed "Mickey and I told them about your mom."

Cheryl wasn't even surprised. Veronica seemed so uneasy when Cheryl made her captain of the Rivervixens. Now she knew why.

"Why didn't you tell us, Cherry?" Veronica asked, deeply hurt that her friend didn't chose to confide in her "We could've helped you."

"I was ashamed. Ashamed and scared. I still am." Cheryl pulled the blanket closer to her as the image of her mother appeared in her mind "I never want to set foot in Thornhill again."

"You might not have to. Cheryl," Polly paused, glancing at her sister before she revealed "We want you to live with us."

Cheryl was stunned. "What about Nana Rose?"

"She is more than welcome to come too," Betty assured her. "Things will be a little crowded once the twins are born, but we'll make it work."

Cheryl truly could not believe her eyes. "You really want me to live with you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because we're family," Betty answered, as if that clarified everything.

Cheryl was speechless. For so long, the thought of a life away from Penelope seemed like a fantasy. But now…

"Cherry?" Veronica quickly became concerned as her friend began to cry "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just," The gothic heroine let a small sniffle as she began to smile "I always wanted sisters."

* * *

"Well doc, how have I got?"

Reggie chuckled as he stood in the bathroom with Mickey, Archie and Jughead, wrapping his best friend's bloodied hand with a medical bandage. "Best I can tell, it's just a sprained wrist. It's a good thing you two double-teamed the ice. Otherwise one of you would have broken a hand."

"Thanks. And not just for the medical treatment. You saves Cheryl's life," Mickey reminded in a deeply grateful tone "I owe you. But if you ever kiss her again, I swear I'll kill you."

Reggie laughed. "Not if Josie doesn't kill me first."

The young men walked down into living room, where Veronica, Josie and the Cooper sisters were caringly surrounding Cheryl by the fire.

"So, how are our handsome heroes?" Veronica asked.

"A little banged up. But we'll live," Archie assured her with a smile.

"It's getting late," Cheryl commented "You better going if you're going to make it to the Jubilee."

"Cher, you shouldn't be alone right now," Josie insisted.

"I'll stay with her," Mickey offered, causing Cheryl to glance his way.

Archie nodded, walking over to his brother's side whispering into his ear. "I talked to Dad. I told him you and Cheryl fell in the water ice-skating."

"Thanks."

The brown-eyed twin pulled his brother into a tight hug, grateful beyond words that tragedy had not turned him into an only child. "Next time you want to play Aquaman, do it in the summer, okay?"

* * *

Mickey suppressed a shiver as he sat alone in the corner of the room, struggling to get warm while so far from the fire.

"You can come sit with me if you want," Cheryl offered. She had barely seen him since he returned from Vancouver. And now that they forced to be in the same room alone together, he barely said a word to her.

The blue-eyed twin got up and walked over to the couch, letting out a deep sigh as he felt the warmth of the fire wash over him. "Thanks," he told Cheryl, as she draped half of her blanket across his shoulder.

"Thank you. You saved me."

"Guess that makes us even, huh?" Mickey joked.

Ten years ago, Cheryl saved Mickey from drowning in Sweetwater River. And now he had saved her.

"The Coopers want me to live with them," Cheryl commented "I don't suppose you had anything to do with that?"

"I might've mentioned it. Figured it was the least that I owed you."

"Owed me?"

"For Vancouver. For sending your family underground," he explained in a guilt-ridden tone "For making your father commit suicide."

"Is that why I've barely seen you these past few days?"

Mickey felt a lump form in his throat. "I didn't know how to look at you knowing that you hate me."

"I don't hate you Mickey," Cheryl protested "I love you. And If you'll have me, I want us to spend as much time as we can together until you have to move to Chicago."

Mickey face broke into a massive grin. "I'm not moving to Chicago."

"You're not?"

"My parents worked things out. You have to share me with my mom during the summer but for the rest of the year-," Mickey's voice were cut short as Cheryl smashed her lips against his.

She couldn't help it. Cheryl loved Mickey. With all her heart and soul. And now, there was nothing keeping them apart.

Mickey had always loved Cheryl. Ever since he was a little boy. And to know he hadn't lost her forever filled him with a joy he could barely contain.

The blue-eyed twin felt his heart race as he kissed Cheryl back passionately, a jolt of sensual electricity coursing through his body as her hands began to roam his chest, quickly unzipping his hoodie as he began to unbutton her shirt.

* * *

Archie stood behind stage at the Jubilee as he prepared to perform with the Pussycats. Playing guitar was not easy with a sprained wrist.

"You sure you should be performing, Archiekins?"

The brown-eyed twin smiled as Veronica Lodge walked in, a concerned expression on her face. "Ronnie, I played an entire football season with a taped hand my freshman year. I can figure this out."

The New York native nodded, noticing the distant look on her boyfriend's face as he looked over his music sheets. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just...I've been thinking about what happened at the river," Archie explained "How Mickey was willing to do anything to save Cheryl. And I realized, I want to be that for you, Veronica."

The New York native grinned at the adoring look on her boyfriend's face. "A soulmate? A broad shoulder I can cry on every now and then?"

"Yeah."

"I'd love that, Archie," she whispered.

"Me too." The brown-eyed felt his heart race as Veronica leaned in close, giving him a soft, intimate kiss.

"Ahem."

The young lovers jumped as Josie McCoy made her presence known, with Valerie and Melody by her sides. Should we come back?"

"Uh no," Archie said as he cleared his throat "No, that's okay. Listen, Val-,"

"It's okay Archie," the songwriter assured with a small smile "We're good."

"Archie," Josie gave her friend a deeply grateful expression "What you and Mickey did for Cheryl-,"

"It was nothing."

"You saved her life. That is the exact opposite of nothing. Which is why we want to sing your song for the Jubilee."

"Really?" Archie was stunned. When he suggested his song at rehearsal, he thought it would take a miracle to sing it at the Jubilee.

"Hello?" Reggie Mantle poked his head through the dressing room door with one eye open "Everyone decent?"

"Come on in Tiger," Josie permitted "And don't act like you weren't trying to sneak a peek with your one eye open."

"I neither confirm nor deny," Reggie stated, earning a laugh from the lead singer "Drink this," he instructed, handing her a warm thermos "It's green tea and honey. It's good for your voice."

Josie smiled as her cheeks grew warm. "Thank you."

"Where's ours?" Melody asked.

"I'm her boyfriend, not yours. Anyway, Mayor McCoy said you guys are on in five minutes," Reggie informed.

As the young performers headed onstage, Veronica brought a hand onto Archie's arm and whispered. "Come find me after the show."

Archie tilted his head at the lustful, playful look in her eye. "Why?"

"So I can sneak you into my bedroom, of course."

* * *

Cheryl lay with Mickey on the couch later that evening, with nothing more than a blanket between them, resting her head on his chest while Mickey slept, watching the embers of the fire slowly go out, remembering her late brother's request. She would rewrite their family's legacy. And she knew just where to start. There was just one problem: Mickey.

He was warm, too warm. His face was pale. And he was shivering in his sleep even though he was sweating. She didn't want to leave him, not after all that he'd done for her. But Cheryl didn't do this tonight, she feared she never would.

The scarlet-haired bombshell grabbed one of the spare blankets off the floor and draped it over her shoulders, carefully slipping off the couch as she headed upstairs. Thistlehouse had once been Nana Rose's home, until her life-changing fall down the stairs. The Blossoms used to spend weekends here during the summer, but only on rare occasions. After finding one of her favorite dresses in the closet, Cheryl got dressed and headed downstairs, ready to face her mother once and for all.

"Cheryl?"

Cheryl paused at the sound of the Mickey's voice, looking over her shoulder to see him staring at her from the couch with half-open eyes. "I have to go, Mickey. I'm sorry."

"No," he protested in a groggy, raspy slur, reaching out to take her hand "Stay."

"I want to. But there's something I have to do first."

Mickey fought to stay away as his said the words. "Coming...with you."

"You're sick. You're need to rest."

"I'm...fine," Mickey lied. His throat was sore and he was freezing. But he was not letting Cheryl out his sight. The blue-eyed twin attempted to sit up, only to stop when his head started to spin.

Cheryl placed a hand on Mickey's chest as she forced him to lie back down, pulling the blanket closer to his chest. "You are no condition to go anywhere, Teddy Bear."

"Rosie...stay," Mickey repeated "Please."

Cheryl stared into Mickey's eyes, the pale blue irises distant, dazed, and groggy. Not that she could blame him. While bandaging his best friend's hand, Reggie had given Mickey two Advil and a shot of Dayquill. But underneath all those drugs and the fever, Cheryl could tell he was scared. For her. "You don't have to worry about me Mickey. I'm different now. I feel...reborn," she described "like a phoenix."

"Phoenix," Mickey repeated, fighting to keep his eyes open as he tried to remember a hazy memory "Dragons...darkness."

Oh yeah. He was definitely feeling the drugs. "I heard you, you know. When I was on the brink of death, I heard you calling for me." Cheryl smiled softly as she gently stroked his cheek "I won't squander the second chance you've given me, Teddy Bear. I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised "I just need to check on Nana Rose."

"Nana Rose...Grandpa Artie...sitting in a tree."

Cheryl suppressed a giggle at her boyfriend's drug-induced response, tossing another log on the fire. "Rest. Get warm. I'll be back. I love you."

"Love you too," Mickey responded hazily, slipping into a deep sleep as Cheryl walked out.

* * *

Fred smiled as he applauded Betty finished her speech at the Jubilee, deeply proud of both her and Archie. The construction worker rose from his seat and headed the exit, suppressing a scowl as Hermione walked over to him. "What do you want?"

"Just to give you this." The raven-haired mother reached into her purse and handed her high school boyfriend a yellow folder. "An official, formal offer for your shares of the SoDale project. Just like you asked."

Fred handed the folder right back to her. "No deal."

"You haven't even looked at it."

"I don't have to. I talked things put with my son last night and we decided that the potential profit of SoDale outweighs whatever immediate satisfaction you could offer."

"I see." Hermione pursed her lips as she placed the folder back into her purse "Are they any other business decisions you and your sixteen year-old son have made that I should know about?"

"Just one. Polly." Fred felt a smile tug at his lips as the Cooper family walked towards him. "Mickey mentioned you were looking for work, is that right?"

Polly nodded, the single mother wearing a lavender wool peacoat over her swollen stomach and a confused expression on her face.

"Well, it just so happens that Mrs. Lodge has decided to step down from Andrews Construction," Fred informed, causing Hermione to raise an eyebrow "to focus on her marriage and help her husband transition from prison life. And she insisted that you take our place as our new bookkeeper."

"Oh my God!" Polly became ecstatic as she threw her arms around her neighbor's neck, pulling him into a massive hug.

Alice Cooper stayed silent as she stared at Hermione, her usual cold and hateful glare softening significantly. "Thank you."

Hermione felt something stir inside her at that moment, her thoughts drifting back to her childhood, when she and Alice were sisters in all but blood. The raven-haired mother took a moment to steady herself as the Cooper family headed home, giving Fred a provoked yet impressed glare. "That was quite the little power play you just made," she praised.

"I learned from the best."

"Although, I could suddenly choose to keep my job," Hermione threatened "unless you sell your shares."

"Not a chance."

"Then what's to keep me from putting Polly Cooper out of a job?"

"Alice," Fred answered with the utmost certainty. "You caused so much pain in high school," he reminded in a deeply disappointed tone "just because you could. Without a single ounce of remorse. But there was always one thing you wished you could undo: sleeping with Hal Cooper. Alice was your best friend. Your only friend. That's why you let Polly stay with you. It wasn't a favor to Veronica, it was an olive branch. So can you can stay on as my bookkeeper," Fred dared "And risk driving Alice away forever. Or you can step down and pray that it gives you the chance to win back the only real friend you have ever known." Fred felt a dark sense of satisfaction as he saw Hermione conviction waiver "Your choice."

The single father smiled smugly to himself as he turned around and headed for his truck, pulling out his phone and dialing Mary's number.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey. It's me," Fred said, smiling at the sound of her voice "I just felt you should know, Mickey was in an accident this afternoon."

" _Is he alright?"_

"He's fine. He's fine," Fred assured quickly "The boys went ice skating on Sweetwater River with some friends. Mickey and Cheryl were the first on the ice and they fell in. But Archie got them out and they're okay."

" _Good. That's good."_

Fred frowned at the shaky tone in his wife's voice. "You okay, Mary Grace?"

* * *

"I'm fine Fred." Mary stood alone in her bathroom, her eyes locked in a state of disbelief as she stared at the positive pregnancy test in her hand. "Everything's fine."

* * *

"This is a bad idea T." Sweet Pea walked with Fangs and Toni across Sunnyside Trailer Park, walking towards a familiar mobile home. "We don't even know this guy."

"He's our friend," Toni reminded sharply "that's all I need to know."

"He was our friend. When we were four. Now he's just some kid who's been playing Northsider for the past twelve years," Sweet Pea counted "We can't trust him."

"He's FP's son. We promised to keep an eye on him and we need a fourth man. And we are don having this conversation," Toni stated in a steely voice right before she knocked on the door.

Moments later, Jughead Jones came and answered the door, pulling a sweatshirt down over his chest. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We need your help. The rent's due on Monday and none of our family have the money."

"Okay," Jughead tilted his head as he stepped onto the porch "I know I'm the unofficial prince of the Serpents, but I don't know how to get that kind of money in a weekend."

"Your dad taught us how to get copper wire from the abandoned houses on the Westside," Sweet Pea explained "But we need a fourth man if we're going to get everything that we need."

Jughead's eyes widened in shock as he whispered "You asking me to help you rob a house?"

"We're asking you to help us keep our families from being thrown out on the street," Sweet Pea justified "I told you we couldn't trust this guy."

"The house we're going to is abandoned," Toni repeated "No one's is going to miss the wiring and no one's going to get hurt. The rent's due on your trailer too," she whispered "and our fence is going on vacation tomorrow, which means we have to do this tonight. If you want your father to have a home to come back to when he gets out, this is the only way."

Jughead stayed silent as he weighed his options, letting out a frustrated sigh as he made to a decision. "Give me a minute."

The Southside native quickly hurried back into the trailer, his stomach twisting up in knots at the sight of Betty Cooper.

"Juggie, what's wrong?"

"I have to go."

"Go?"

"I'm so sorry," Jughead apologized, grabbing his Southside Serpent jacket from the closet. "The rent's due and if I don't have it by Monday, the landlord will tow the trailer. Toni has a way for us to get the money, but we have to do it tonight." The dark-haired boy the blonde reporter's face with both hands and pulled her for a quick and sudden kiss. "I love you. I'll call you tomorrow," he promised. Right before he ran out the door.

* * *

" _Sugar_

 _Oh, honey, honey_

 _You are my candy girl_

 _And you got me wanting you."_

 _Mickey smiled brightly as he spun Cheryl to the music on the auditorium floor, along with Fred and Mary, Moose and Midge, Reggie and Josie, Betty and Jughead, Archie and Veronica and all the other residents of Riverdale enjoyed the Homecoming dance. The scarlet bombshell giggled as Mickey pulled her close, leaning in for a kiss when music suddenly stopped._

 _Mickey's eyes widened as he realized that the dance floor was completely empty except for him and one person: a fair-skinned blonde with short hair, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and black leggings, with matching boots and a headband. Sabrina. "Hey Paladin."_

" _What are you doing here?" Mickey asked._

" _We need to talk."_

 _Mickey's eyes narrowed as he realized what was going on. "This is dream."_

" _So?"_

" _So, you're not real."_

" _Yes I am."_

" _No you're not," Mickey repeated "This is a dream. Which means, all this is in my head. Which means, you're not real."_

" _Yes this is a dream. And yes, I'm in your head," Sabrina confirmed "but I am real. And we really need to talk."_

" _I don't think so. This is a dream," Mickey reiterated "Which means I can do whatever I want."_

 _To prove his point, the blue-eyed snapped his fingers three times, causing a trio of Cheryl Blossoms in cheerleading uniforms to appear._

" _G! O! M! I! C! K! E! Y! Go Mickey!" they cheered enthusiastically before Mickey made them disappear with another snap._

" _And for my next trick, I will make Sabrina disappear."_

 _The blue-eyed twin grinned as he snapped his fingers again, causing the auditorium to refill with the residents of Riverdale, pulling Cheryl close for another kiss, only for her and everyone to disappear once again._

" _Nice trick, Inception."_

 _Mickey clenched his jaw at the sound of Sabrina's voice, spotting her sitting on the edge of the stage._

" _But my tricks are way better. How did you do that, anyway?" she asked._

" _It's called lucid dreaming. I've been having stress nightmares since I was kid. My best friend taught me how so I could get good night's sleep before a big test at school. I'm pretty much pro now. Although some dreams are trickier than others," he explained, giving her an irritated glance "If you won't leave, then I will," he decided, snapping his fingers._

* * *

 _Mickey sat behind the wheel of a green '67 Thunderbird, dressed in his brown leather jacket, a white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, cruising down Route 66 with Cheryl by his side on a bright and sunny day, when he noticed Sabrina sitting in the back seat._

" _Sweet ride."_

 _SNAP!_

* * *

 _Mickey kissed Cheryl passionately as they two of them stumbled into the empty locker room, the blue-eyed twin wearing his Riverdale Sluggers uniform while his girlfriend wore her Rivervixens outfit, where Sabrina was waiting patiently as she leaned against the lockers._

" _Seriously? The cheerleader and the jock hooking up in the locker room? How cliche can you get?"_

 _SNAP!_

* * *

 _Mickey grinned mischievously as he playfully chased Cheryl into the Andrews Construction trailer, the blue-eyed twin wearing a light wash denim shirt, dark jeans, boots and a hard hat while Cheryl wore a form-fitting pure white blouse, a short red shirt and black thigh-high boots._

 _The scarlet-haired bombshell pointed in Mickey's direction as she leaned against the desk, wiggling her finger back and forth as she gestured for Mickey to come closer._

" _Ahem."_

 _Mickey threw his hard hat on the floor when he spotted Sabrina on the other side of the trailer, making herself a cup of coffee._

" _Really? Sex in the office desk? What are you, fifty?"_

 _"That. Is. It!" Mickey shouted. Time to pull the plug on this dream._

 _SNAP!_

* * *

 _Mickey's eyes popped open as he sat up in his bed, letting out a deep breath. Thank God. No more Sabrina. Wait a minute. He didn't fall asleep at home._

" _Finally."_

 _Mickey slammed his head into his pillow as Sabrina walked through his bedroom door._

" _A dreamscape that doesn't include you trying to bang your girlfriend. I know they say all boys think about is sex, but I was really hoping that was just an exaggeration."_

 _Mickey groaned. "Leave me alone."_

" _Not until we talk."_

" _Fine. Fine," the blue-eyed twin relented as he sat back up "Let's hear what the figment of my imagination has to say."_

" _I am not a figment. I'm a witch."_

" _A what?"_

" _A witch," Sabrina repeated "You know, spells, curses, incantations?"_

 _Mickey laughed. "Yeah right."_

" _It's true. That's how I got into your dreams," she explained "I used a dreamwalker spell to project my astral projection into your subconscious."_

 _Only Mickey wasn't buying it. "If you're a witch, shouldn't you look like this?"_

 _Sabrina scowled as she realized her clothes had suddenly changed, the girl from Greendale now wearing a long black dress, a pointy hat and holding an old wooden broom. "Well you're Scottish, shouldn't you look that this?"_

 _Mickey's eyes widened as his pajamas turned into a kilt and bagpipes. "Touche. Look, just tell me what you want so you can go."_

" _He's coming."_

 _"Who's coming?"_

" _The dragon," Sabrina stated obviously "remember? Black scales? Green eyes? Seeks absolute destruction?"_

" _Right. I'll make sure our dragon insurance is renewed when I wake up."_

 _Sabrina's eyes widened as Mickey got out the bed and headed for the door. "Where are you going?"_

" _As far from you as possible."_

" _Wait!" As she chased him down the stairs, Sabrina's dress changed to her regular clothes, while Mickey's kilt turned into a dark wash denim shirt, black jeans and sneakers. "The dragon is the first of the three waves of darkness. He could be here any day now," Sabrina insisted "You're the only one I can stop him."_

" _Because I'm a Paladin, right?" Mickey recalled, grabbing a Pop's root beer float from the fridge in the kitchen._

" _Yes! Your ancestors were soldiers in the holy war," Sabrina explained "That's why the darkness hasn't corrupted your family."_

" _Holy war? You mean the Crusades?" Mickey realized "That's a family myth I heard in Scotland when I went to bury my grandfather. There's no proof that it actually happened. And even if an Andrews really did fight in the Crusades, it wouldn't make me a holy knight."_

" _I told you Sabrina."_

 _Mickey's eyes widened as a little black cat hopped in through the open kitchen window. It was talking. The cat was talking._

" _These Christians are a stubborn lot," the cat went on with a cockney British accent "They only listen to little girls with wings and halos."_

" _Okay, that does it." Mickey brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, causing the Andrews family dog to come running in barking through the front doggy door. "Go get him, Vegas!"_

" _Bad dog! Bad dog! Leave me alone!" the cat pleaded, letting out a panicked meow as Vegas chased him through the back door._

 _Sabrina gave Mickey a protective glare "What did you do that for?"_

" _I hate cats. I'm allergic."_

" _That's just Salem's astral projection. It's not going to make you break out or anything."_

" _Doesn't mean I want a talking cat running around in my dreams. Look, I heard what you had to say and I'm not buying it. Now will you leave me alone, please?"_

" _You're not listening me! Please," Sabrina begged in a wavering voice "I'm trying to make things right. The witches of Greendale have been practicing black magic for decades, never once considering the effect it might have on the outside world. For the past seventy years, Riverdale has been soaking up all the residual dark energy like a sponge. It's corrupting the people's hearts and minds like toxic runoff from a nuclear power plant. That's what made your girlfriend's family so cruel. That's what happening to your friend next door. That's what created the dragon. I can change the Church of Night from the inside. I can make sure nothing like this happens again," she promised "But I can't do that and stop the dragon. Not without you. Please. All descendants of the Knights Templar are covered by the blessing of the sacred cross. It makes them all natural warriors to fight the darkness. Your father has lost the will to fight and your brother's heart is clouded by self-doubt and indecision. Which means the only who can do this is you. Look I know I'm asking a lot, but you don't stop the dragon, innocent people are going to-,"_

" _There is no dragon!" Mickey snapped "There is no dark magic contaminating Riverdale, and there is no Sabrina the teenage witch! You're not 're he part of me that actually had fun through this whole Jason Blossom mess."_

 _He got to help solve a murder mystery. He traveled to another country and take down a drug cartel. Today, he saved Cheryl's life and made love to her by the fire. And when the Blossoms were shooting at him in Vancouver, he never felt so alive._

" _My stupid hero complex," he identified, finally admitting that Polly was right "Cranked up to eleven. You're a part of me, so I will make you deal: I will talk to my dad about joining the military. I will talk to Sheriff Keller about law enforcement. I will find a way to spend my life helping people after graduation," Mickey promised "And for the next two years, you leave. Me. Alone."_

 _Sabrina sighed as she blinked slowly, a steely yet regretful resolve on her face. "I tried being nice. But it looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."_

 _Mickey jumped at the sudden sound of a baby crying filled his ears, turning around to see a crib standing in the middle of the living room. It was similar to the ones Mickey and Archie had when they were little. Only this one had been repainted pink. Curious, the blue-eyed twin walked over and approached the crib, inspecting the tiny life inside_ _: a fair-skinned redhead with familiar features, wearing a pure white onesie. Around her neck hung a rose gold pendant on a red leather chord, the image of a robin etched into the center, surrounded by Celtic knots. She looked like Mary. The baby slowly started to settle as Mickey picked her up and began to rock her back and forth, staring back at him with pale blue eyes as she wrapped her tiny hand around Mickey's finger, causing a strange feeling to stir in his heart. "Who is this?"_

" _One of the chosen few who will survive," Sabrina answered grimly "unless you help me."_

" _Survive what?"_

 _Sabrina drew Mickey's attention to the kitchen where a stranger dressed in a black cloak suddenly appeared from the shadows, his piercing green eyes boring into Mickey's soul. The baby quickly started crying again as the stranger began to change. His body doubled in size. His arms turned to talons. His cloak turned into scales. Mickey's eyes widened as the stranger turned into a massive winged dragon who could barely fit in the room. The creature opened his jaw to reveal his razor sharp teeth, unleashing a massive plume of emerald fire._

* * *

Mickey's eye snapped open as the dream came to a fiery end, his heart racing and chest heaving from the shock. That dream...it was unlike anything Mickey had ever experienced before. The fire felt so real, he was sweating. A lot. Mickey groaned as he sat up on the couch, realizing just how bad he really felt. His throat was burning, his head was spinning and despite the sweat he was freezing. Cheryl was right. He was sick. Wait.

"Cheryl?" The blue-eyed twin called in a weak raspy tone. Great. He lost voice too. Just great. Before he could even try to call her again, Mickey broke into a coughing fit that left his throat feeling like it had been attacked by a jackhammer.

The blue-eyed twin felt his head start to spin as he sat up on the couch, the morning sun shining across his face through the window. Morning. Oh God, it was morning. Mickey searched around and found his phone, checking his messages to find that Fred had texted him three times and called twice.

 _I'm a dead man, Mickey_ thought. As he scrambled to get dressed and meet his father at Pop's, Mickey noticed that he wasn't the only one Fred had asked to meet him at the diner.

* * *

Veronica Lodge lay in bed with Archie that peaceful morning, the sun softly shining through her bedroom window as a cell phone started buzzing, stirring the raven-haired princess from her sleep as she blindly reached for the phone and brought to her lips. "Hello?"

Veronica's eyes snapped open the caller starting coughing violently. "Hello?"

" _Put Archie on the phone Veronica,"_ a raspy voice insisted.

"Who is this?"

" _It's Mickey. Now tell Archie to come out your legs and put him on the phone."_

"I am going to let that slide solely because I can tell that you're ill. He's sleeping. Give me a second." The New York native gently rocked her boyfriend's chest back and forth with her free hand. "Wakey-wakey Archiekins," she whispered.

The brown-eyed twin took in a deep breath as he woke up, looking up at Veronica with a smile as the morning sun surrounded her face like a halo. "Hi."

"Hi." Veronica gave Archie a soft, playful smile as he leaned in for a morning kiss, placing a finger on his lips as she waved the phone in her hand back and forth. "It's your brother. He sounds sick."

Concerned, Archie took the phone in his hand and held it to his ear. "You okay, Mick?"

" _AAAH-CHOO_!"

Archie winced as his brother let out a massive sneeze through the phone. "Guess not."

" _We're dead Archie-Boy,"_ Mickey said with a sniffle _"We are so dead."_

"What are you talking about?"

" _Dad knows we didn't come home last night."_

"Oh God." Archie's heart skipped a beat as he jumped from the bed and started getting dressed. "I texted you. I texted you," he repeated as he pulled on his pants "and I told you to be home before Dad got back from the Jubilee. And I asked you to cover me."

" _In case you couldn't tell, I have a major cold from fishing my girlfriend out of a frozen river,"_ Mickey reminded _"I've been in a mini-coma all night. Look, Dad wants us to meet him at Pop's. I'm heading there now. Where are you?"_

"At the Pembroke. I can be there in ten minutes."

" _Don't tell Dad anything until I get there. Our stories need to line up...up...AAAH-CHOO!"_

Archie winced as he brother let out another massive sneeze. "You sure you don't want Dad to pick you up?"

" _Dude, I'm still at Thistlehouse. The last thing I need is for Dad to find out I spent the night at my girlfriend's summer home. Look, just stall him,"_ Mickey pleaded _"I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Okay." As he hung up the phone, Archie turned around and gave his girlfriend a deeply apologetic look. "I have to go."

"I know. But I'm keeping this," Veronica stipulated, gesturing to the dress shirt she was wearing "It reminds me of you."

Archie smiled as he leaned over the bed and gave her a single kiss, the soft sensation of her lips sending his heart soaring for the stars. "I'll call you," he whispered.

"You better."

* * *

101.6. That was Mickey's temperature when he left Thistlehouse. 101.6. Before he headed off to meet his family, the blue-eyed twin raided the medicine cabinet for anything that would make the walk to Pop's more bearable, taking a pair of aspirin and couple shots of cold medicine when he noticed the thermometer and decided to check his how bad his fever was. 101.6. He should be in bed with a bowl of Mary's chicken soup, not hiking back halfway across town in the snow. Yet here he was, struggling to stay warm as the winter wind whipped at his face, causing him to shudder, sneeze and cough.

At least he knew why Sabrina showed up in his head last night. Talk about a serious fever dream. Still, he couldn't figure what that baby had to do with anything...

First things first. Mickey and Archie had to smooth things over with Fred so he didn't ground them until graduation. Then, Mickey had to find Cheryl.

She never came back to Thistlehouse. She called, but she never came back. On the way to Pop's, Mickey decided to check the rest of his messages. Mary had learned about the accident and was just glad he was okay. Polly was beyond grateful for the job bookkeeping job. And Cheryl was at the hospital.

She didn't say why or what happened, all her voicemail said was that there had been an accident at Thornhill and that she was okay. Which is why Mickey needed to convince Fred to take him to the hospital. If Penelope had hurt Cheryl again….Oh God.

Mickey's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when the iconic Riverdale diner came into view, spotting a green-eyed man in a mask through the window. Pointing a gun right at Fred. Mickey's heart started racing. His blood started boiling. His vision blurred into a red haze and without a moment's hesitation, he charged into the restaurant.

* * *

Three shots were fired before the man who would come to be known as 'The Black Hood' ran out of Pop's, leaving the Andrews family beaten and battered inside.

* * *

Mickey winced in agony as he struggled to sit up in the corner by the door, a bruise on his forehead and a bullet in his shoulder, staring at Archie as he sat in the middle of the diner, holding Fred's head in his lap as he lay in a puddle of blood.

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Just wanted to thank you to all the readers who followed, favorited and reviewed my fic. I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I had writing it.**

 **Feel free to tell me which chapter was your favorite and what you would like to see in a sequel.**


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